Jill Biden reveals Joe’s stage 4 cancer spread to bones, says he’ll live with cancer
WASHINGTON, DC: Former first lady Jill Biden has shared one of her most detailed public updates on former President Joe Biden's battle with stage 4 prostate cancer, saying he is "doing okay" but will "forever live with cancer" because the disease has spread to his bones.
Speaking during an appearance on Kelly Ripa's podcast ‘Let's Talk off Camera’, Jill Biden discussed her husband's health, the challenges of caregiving, and the criticism surrounding when his diagnosis became public.
She also explained how the couple eventually discovered the illness after Biden continued experiencing symptoms.
Jill Biden says Joe Biden undergoes cancer treatment every three months
Jill Biden said the former president remains under regular medical care and undergoes testing every three months.
"He's doing okay," she said while discussing his condition.
She explained that prostate cancer can often be treated successfully if detected before it spreads. However, she said Joe Biden's cancer had already metastasized to his bones.
"That diagnosis can be cured: You can go through radiation or whatever. You can be cured, and you'll be fine. Unfortunately for Joe, it metastasized to his bones, which means that he will forever live with cancer."
Reflecting on the experience, Jill Biden said cancer affects not only the patient but the entire family.
"Anybody who's gone through this cancer journey, and I've been through it many times with members of my family, it's constant, it's daily, and it's challenging," she said.
Jill Biden explains how Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis was discovered
During the conversation, host Kelly Ripa raised questions that had circulated publicly after Biden's diagnosis, including suggestions that the illness had been known earlier.
Ripa rejected those claims, sharing that her own father received the same diagnosis only after doctors investigated persistent back pain following a car accident.
She noted that men over the age of 70 are generally not routinely screened with a PSA blood test under the guidelines referenced during the interview, adding that prostate cancer can develop slowly for years before spreading.
Jill Biden recalled that Joe Biden had repeatedly been waking during the night, prompting her to ask White House doctors to examine him.
According to Jill Biden, the doctors had been following American Urological Association guidelines and did not administer a PSA blood test at the time.
"But when it continued, when we got out of the White House, I said, 'You know, Joe, we've got to go up to Jeff in Philly, something's wrong'. So we did, but I never thought it would be prostate cancer," she said.
Jill Biden opens up about caring for Joe Biden during cancer battle
Jill Biden also spoke about the emotional demands of caring for a loved one with cancer, saying the responsibility extends far beyond medical appointments.
"It's so hard to be a caregiver in that you worry every day, 'Is he eating right? Is he getting enough exercise? Did he have his medications?'" she said.
She added that their determination to keep moving forward has remained unchanged.
"It's part of my legacy - I hope it's part of Joe's legacy, that we will keep fighting, just like we did in those four years. We will keep fighting for the American people."
Jill Biden also referred to remarks she made during an appearance on 'The View', where she was asked whether Joe Biden would have been able to serve another presidential term in light of his diagnosis.
"Not from what I know now," she responded, acknowledging that what she has since learned about his condition changed her perspective.
