Wiles details cancer battle while leading Trump's White House: 'Carried the full weight of both'

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Sunday, September 27, shared a detailed account of the physical and emotional toll of undergoing breast cancer treatment while continuing to lead President Donald Trump’s White House.

In an op-ed in USA Today, Wiles described balancing chemotherapy, medical appointments, and the demands of one of Washington’s highest-profile jobs. Wiles shared her account a week after she announced that pathology tests following surgery showed no residual cancer and that she was cancer-free. 

Susie Wiles describes balancing chemotherapy with White House duties

Wiles said cancer became a constant presence during her treatment, occupying her thoughts from the time she woke up and, at times, while she slept. She described the uncertainty surrounding treatment, test results, and what might happen next as difficult to manage even while maintaining her responsibilities at the White House. “Fighting cancer is brutal and unrelenting,” Wiles wrote.

She said the demands of treatment varied from day to day. While some days were focused primarily on fighting the disease, on others even preparing for work required significant effort. Wiles described the challenge of carrying both responsibilities simultaneously. “Most days, I carried the full weight of both,” she wrote.

Despite the treatment, Wiles continued working for Trump, including virtually during portions of the six-month period following her diagnosis. She said remaining engaged in her job provided a sense of purpose beyond medical appointments, scans and the side effects of treatment. “Cancer can make your world very small. I worked hard not to let it,” Wiles wrote.

Wiles acknowledged that treatment affected her stamina, mobility and, at times, her ability to concentrate. She said she was not always able to be present for everything she wanted to attend, with colleagues helping cover responsibilities while her family, friends and medical team supported her through treatment.

She also emphasized that continuing to work during cancer treatment would not be appropriate or possible for everyone. For her, however, maintaining her role in the White House helped preserve a sense of identity beyond her illness.

Susie Wiles announces she's cancer-free after pathology results came back clear

Wiles disclosed her early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in March, saying at the time that she was joining the many women who continue working, raising families and serving their communities while undergoing treatment.

“Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work and serve their communities with strength and determination,” she said in March. “I now join their ranks.” After undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, Wiles announced on September 16 that her pathology results had come back clear following an appointment at the Mayo Clinic.

She said she was now focused on recovering from the effects of treatment. In her latest account, Wiles described chemotherapy in blunt terms while reflecting on its impact. “Chemotherapy tested me in ways I could never have anticipated. The next stage will require a serious commitment to rebuilding what treatment took from me,” she wrote.

"Cancer does not have to take away who you are," Wiles asserted. 

Wiles also credited Trump, her family, friends, colleagues, and doctors for supporting her during treatment. Trump praised his chief of staff in a prerecorded tribute in May, saying she was winning her cancer battle.