AIG's Benmosche: I Have 9 Months To A Year Left To Live

AIG's Bob Benmosche told Bloomberg Television's Betty Liu that because his cancer has worsened, he has decided to step down from his role as CEO earlier than he originally planned.

He stated that his cancer "had begun massive mutations" and that now he has nine months to one year left to live.

Initially, Benmosche planned to step down in the first quarter of 2015. But after his revised prognosis he told the AIG board, "You know what? I'm not going to play the odds. And I think the changes have to be made now not later. And so let's accelerate my retirement."

Benmosche told Liu that he is currently "stable... which is a big world because it wasn't stable for the last six months" and that he will know in "another month or two whether [they're] making good progress or not."

Despite everything, Benmosche added that he "never was at a dark place."

Instead of focusing on the pain and pain killers, Benmosche said that, "it's about thinking of your life and enjoying your life until you don't have a life."

Benmosche took over as CEO in August 2009. He's credited for being one of the heroes of the great recession thanks to his successful efforts in navigating the failing insurance giant out of the financial crisis.

You can watch the full interview here: