We were saddened to hear that State Treasurer Joe Meyer, who has devoted so many years to public service in Wyoming, has lung cancer.

But we're hopeful that the 68-year-old Meyer will successfully recover from the disease and be back at work soon. He is scheduled to have surgery in Cheyenne next week.

As he and his wife Mary explained at a news conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, doctors said the tumor they discovered in his left lung is malignant but has not spread to other parts of his body.

"All things considered, it could have been worse," said Meyer, who was also the state's attorney general and served two four-year terms as secretary of state. "We're just lucky to have discovered it early."

Meyer knows that his 45 years of heavy cigarette smoking likely contributed to his cancer, but he said it's been difficult to quit, even though he has tried many times. Like many others, he never thought cancer would happen to him.

There's a lesson in Meyer's experience that we hope others pay attention to: if you don't smoke, don't start. And if you do smoke, try to get the necessary help to quit.