Outpouring of support after former President Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive cancer
Messages of support are flooding in from across the political spectrum after the announcement that former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
(NBC)- Messages of support are flooding in from across the political spectrum after the announcement that former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. According to a statement from his personal office, Biden received the diagnosis on Friday, following increasing urinary symptoms. Doctors have noted that the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which increases the likelihood that it will respond to treatment.
“Once the cancer has spread to the bones, it’s no longer curable, but it’s very treatable, and very controllable,” said Dr. Christopher Georgia, an oncologist at Northwestern University.
Biden, who championed the Cancer Moonshot initiative during his time as both President and Vice President, has long made cancer research and prevention a personal and political priority. The effort gained deeper personal significance after the loss of his son, Beau Biden, to brain cancer in 2015.
“It’s fair to say, one of the most devastating words anyone can hear—and it’s not hyperbole—is cancer,” the former president once said during a public address on the issue.
In the wake of his diagnosis, leaders from both parties have issued statements of support: President Donald Trump said he and the First Lady were “saddened” by the news and wished Biden a “fast and successful recovery.”
Former President Barack Obama called Biden a leader who has “done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than anyone.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris praised Biden as “a fighter” who will face this challenge with “strength, resilience, and optimism.”
Sources close to the Biden family say they are meeting with medical teams and considering multiple treatment options, including hormone therapy. The location of Biden’s treatment has not yet been disclosed. While the country rallies around the former president, the work of government continues. House Republicans advanced a sweeping spending bill over the weekend aligned with President Trump’s policy agenda. The legislation is expected to undergo further revisions before it reaches a final vote.
President Trump is set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as part of ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
