Donald Payne (D-N.J.), 77, was flown home from Washington on Friday to continue treatment for colon cancer, a condition he announced last month in a "Dear Colleague" letter to his associates in the House . His condition is being described as "gravely ill".
Payne, a 24 year veteran of Capitol Hill, was the first African American Representative from the state of New Jersey.
One of the most commonly cited events in Payne's long term as Representative from the district that includes the city of Newark was a terrorist event in 2009 in the skies over Somalia.
Leaving Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, Payne became the target of Islamic militants who fired mortar rounds at his plane, according to The New York Times report on the incident. Ten people were injured in the attack; Payne was not among them.
Payne's aircraft was not hit in the attack.
All thoughts and prayers for Representative Payne and his family.