Jeb Bush's chief strategist, David Kochel, diagnosed with cancer

Jeb Bush's chief strategist, Iowa native David Kochel, was diagnosed with cancer on Saturday and immediately began treatment to fight it.

Kochel, 51, has been splitting his time between Miami and Des Moines as he plots a victory for Bush in the presidential race. He remains a central part of the campaign — and was on a staff call Monday morning — but Bush said he wants Kochel to put his health first.

"Columba's and my prayers are with our friend David for a very speedy recovery," Bush said in a statement. "He is an integral leader of our team, and more importantly, a great human being. I look forward to having David healthy and at 100 percent as we take on the Iowa caucuses and beyond."

Kochel had been feeling under the weather for several weeks and had undergone medical tests in Miami. When symptoms grew worse Friday, he was hospitalized in Des Moines, where the illness was identified as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a particularly aggressive form of cancer.

Kochel is known as an Iowa political wunderkind who has been involved in campaign politics for more than 30 years. He has worked for Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's campaigns; he was Iowa strategist for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012; and he was a top consultant for Republican Joni Ernst's U.S. Senate campaign in 2014.

His co-workers at his consulting firm, Redwave, posted a message on the Caringbridge.org website Sunday. "Cancer has never faced a warrior like David Kochel, and it will wish it never took him on as he wins his biggest campaign yet," the message to friends and family says. "How will we know when he's kicked it? There will be a celebration at Star Bar with 'Eye of the Tiger' by SURVIVOR being played on repeat."

Kochel has been on formal leave from Redwave to work for the Bush campaign since February.

Kochel and his band, Sonny Humbucker, helped raise thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by performing free of charge at a fundraising event in Des Moines in 2008, and he has attended fundraising events over the years for Above & Beyond Cancer. He said Monday he intends to continue pushing for funding for such organizations in the future.