Joe Biden, 82, spoke out for the first time since his cancer diagnosis with a social media post on Monday morning.
‘Cancer touches us all,’ the former president wrote on X along with a selfie of former first lady Jill Biden holding their gray tabby cat Willow.
‘Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,’ he added. ‘Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.’
The post comes just hours after Biden’s personal office revealed that he was diagnosed on Friday with a severe case of prostate cancer that metastasized and spread to his bones.
A statement on the diagnosis said that the Biden family is deciding on treatment options.
‘Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,’ the statement reads.
‘On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,’ it adds of the grave prognosis.
Prostate cancers are provided a ‘Gleason score,’ which measures how the cancerous cells look compared with normal cells. Biden’s score of 9 suggests his cancer is among the most aggressive.
‘While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,’ his office noted.
The announcement came just one week after reports revealed that a ‘small nodule’ was found on Biden’s prostate that needed ‘further evaluation.’
It’s common for those of Bidenm’s advanced age to experience prostate issues. More than half of prostate cancers are found in men older than 65, according to the American Cancer Society.
A nodule is a firm lump or swelling that can develop throughout the body. While they can be benign and harmless, some can be associated with bigger health concerns like infections or, in this case, cancer.
President Donald Trump released a short statement to Truth Social on Sunday saying he and first lady Melania Trump were ‘saddened to hear’ about Biden’s cancer diagnosis.
‘We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,’ Trump wrote.
Biden left office as the oldest serving president in U.S. history – he was also elected as the oldest ever person to hold the highest office.
During his time back in the White House four years after his two terms as VP, Biden reignited his Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Originally put in charge of the effort under President Barack Obama, Biden brought it back in 2022 with the goal of cutting the cancer death rate in half by 2047. It also sought to improve the lives of those living with cancer.
Helping to find treatments and cures for cancer hit close to home for Biden – even before his own diagnosis.
The former president’s son Beau Biden died in 2015 at the age of 46 after he was diagnosed in 2013 with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive type of brain cancer. His father claimed the cancer was a consequence of his Beau’s exposure to military burn pits when he was serving in Iraq.
May 30 of this year marks the 10 year anniversary of Beau’s death.
Biden usually spends that day with his family at his home church St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Wilmington, Delaware for a special mass and to visit his son’s grave.