On Monday night, a spokesperson for former Toronto mayor Rob Ford announced that surgeons had successfully removed the main mass of a cancerous tumor from his abdomen, finding “no surprises,” The Canadian Press reports.

“There were no new growths, the cancer had not spread beyond what they were already aware of, and they were able to remove all the existing growths without causing damage to any internal structures,” said chief of staff Dan Jacobs in a statement. “The clinical team has declared that they consider the operation to be a success.”

According to Jacobs, the intensive procedure required Ford to be under general anesthetic for about 10 hours. From the Hamilton Spectator:

Following a meeting with his doctors last month, Ford said they had told him the growth had shrunk enough from several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to operate.

Two days before the surgery, Ford told local television station CP24 that his biggest fear was not waking up.

“I just want to wake up. That’s all I want to do is wake up,” he said in the interview.

According to the National Post, Ford’s office says he has regained consciousness and will begin a four-month recovery process.

Ford was first diagnosed with pleomorphic liposarcoma—a rare and fast-growing form of cancer arising from fat cells—last September during a campaign to be re-elected as Toronto’s mayor. After receiving the diagnosis, Ford dropped out of that race and ran for a city council position instead, eventually winning with nearly 59 percent of the vote.

[Image via Twitter]