It’s an unexpected snap back to reality. Pennsylvania’s governor has cancer.

Gov. Tom Wolf disclosed Wednesday that he has a treatable form of prostate cancer.

Wolf, 67, said in a statement that the cancer was detected early by his doctors and he has a planned treatment schedule that will last several months.

At a news conference, Wolf declined to specify what his treatment will be, but he said it will not involve chemotherapy.

He says the cancer was detected during a routine checkup.

His wife, Frances, joined him at the news conference. She said, “We don’t have to be sad about this.”

While the governor says it will not impair his ability to perform his duties, Wolf says the planned treatments will begin in the coming weeks and he will take some time off to spend with his family before it starts.

The political landscape these days can only be described as brutal. Wolf’s critics have chastised the first-term Democrat for presenting a budget laden with tax and spending increases, while his allies have railed against the Republican-dominated Legislature for an unrealistically stringent alternative budget. The name-calling and vitriol have flowed in both directions.

Newspapers including this one have been among Wolf’s critics. That’s not likely to change. Open, democratic government includes an adversarial relationship between elected officials and the media. That’s how our government works.

But for heaven’s sake, this is cancer.

The flavor of disgust is fresh on our tongues after the recent death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and the immediate fight that erupted over the naming of a successor. The White House insists it will nominate a justice; the Senate Republican majority says they’ll refuse to consider any nominee.

Lost in the battle is the nobility of Scalia, his three decades on the court and his passion for the law and constitutional issues.

Let’s learn something from the national embarrassment over Scalia’s passing. Let’s agree that Wolf’s diagnosis deserves more dignity and compassion.

Let’s set aside politics and wish our governor well as he takes this deeply personal life detour.