Three months after revealing that he would undergo treatment for prostate cancer, Jacksonville City Council member Terrance Freeman returned to his seat at the Jan. 10 Council meeting.
Freeman opened the meeting by introducing Hope Baptist Church Pastor Tim Nelson for the invocation, saying “I can’t tell you how amazing and exciting it is to open up this year and this Council meeting with a prayer.”
Freeman, who was reelected in 2023 to a second four-year term as an at-large Council member, thanked his family and fellow Council members for supporting him during his absence.
He said he “woke up every morning with depression knocking at my door” but that his spirits were lifted by messages from his colleagues.
Freeman, the immediate past president of the Council, said he was also buoyed by messages of support from the community.
“It showed me how great our city really is,” he said. “We may disagree on issues but when it comes to sticking together and watching each others’ backs, we’re there.”
Council President Ron Salem welcomed Freeman back, saying he felt like “I was missing my co-pilot for the last three or four months.”