From here:

Christopher Hitchens diagnosed with cancer, cuts short his book tour

Christopher Hitchens is being treated for cancer, forcing the D.C. writer to cut short his latest book tour. In a statement released through his publisher Twelve, the British-born provocateur, 61, said that he has “been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my esophagus. This advice seems persuasive to me.”

Now would be a good time to try praying for an atheist.