Former Colorado House Speaker Crisanta Duran on Friday dropped her Democratic primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, saying she believes she can “be more effective in pursuing transformational change through other means.”

Her withdrawal comes just over two weeks after the Denver attorney underwent emergency surgery for what Duran described in a Facebook post as an imminent ruptured appendix her doctor told her was potentially life-threatening.

As she was recovering, Duran posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed and said that she was “taking time to recover and reflecting on much,” adding that there was “More to come. …”

Duran announced she was running for the Denver-based 1st Congressional District seat in February after months of speculation she would challenge U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. Instead, she took aim at DeGette, who was first elected to represent the heavily Democratic district in 1996 and is seeking her 13th term.

”The time is now to bring change,” Duran said in a statement released late on a the night of Feb. 24, just as the Academy Awards telecast was starting. “These challenging times demand political courage from our elected leaders. That is what I have done throughout my entire career, and I want to continue to bring people together to make change in Washington.”

While Duran’s fundraising lagged the incumbent’s, Duran won early endorsements from former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and former Denver Mayor Federico Peña.

This is a developing story and will be updated.