Linden Mayor Pat Vice is back among friendly, hometown faces. Vice returned home Wednesday with a good report and an eagerness to be back among his people. Vice had been hospitalized in Birmingham’s Carraway hospital where he underwent a procedure to remove a cancerous tumor from his brain. The surgery was successful, however, during the procedure another cancerous growth was found on the mayor’s lung.

Fortunately, doctors feel they can contain and remove the lung tumor as well. Vice will undergo another procedure, though a date has not been set. People close to Vice say he is hoping to have the surgery next week.

“He is eager to get it done and get back to healing,” Linden City Administrator Cheryl Hall said. “He said he would rather go ahead and get it done and over with.”

Linden City Clerk Pam Duke said she also believed Vice would likely be in surgery next week.

“We know he will have to have more surgery and treatment,” Duke said. “I think they are hoping to be able to do it next week.”

During the procedure surgeons will remove the cancerous area of the lung and seal it off. The fact that this is the only cancerous area left makes Vice’s outlook very good.

Duke said it was now just a matter of getting it done.

“They know it is in his lung, but it is nowhere else in his body,” Duke said. “It’s just a matter of getting the rest of it.”

For now, Vice remains at home where his outlook continues to be positive. Vice is also on his feet and making a great deal of progress after his surgery.

“I talked to him this morning and he sounded like he was doing well,” Hall said. “He said he was up and about and walked out on his carport this morning. He also said he shaved himself for the first time in a while today and his hand is doing a lot better.”

Right now, most believe Voce will have the next procedure in Carraway as well.

“We think they will probably do it at the same place,” Hall said. “We aren’t sure yet, but we think they probably will.”

For Vice, getting out of the hospital meant a return to his family and another aspect of his life he is very passionate about.

“He was really happy to get back home to some good food,” Hall said. “He is a well know cook around here so that was a big deal for him.”

Duke said she and the city employees wish Vice well and hoped to get to see him as soon as possible.

“We all want to talk to him as quick as we can,” Duke said. “We also hope we can get by and see him.”