Former US President Joe Biden has expressed gratitude towards political leaders after his prostate cancer diagnosis in a social media post on Monday.
“Cancer touches us all,” Biden wrote. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
The former president’s office announced that he was diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer with metastasis to the bone on Sunday. An outpouring of supportive messages followed the statement, including President Donald Trump, who wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he was “saddened” to hear the news.
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” he wrote.
Biden’s diagnosis scored highly on the Gleason scale, used to identify the progression and grading of the malignancy of the cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Despite this, Biden’s office said that the cancer is “hormone-sensitive” and can be managed more effectively.
Prostate cancer specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Alicia Morgans said that even with perfect screening the identification of cancer development in someone is not guaranteed.
“Cancer does not follow a rule book,” she said. “And just because we are trying to catch it early doesn’t mean it necessarily is present when we screen.”
Photo: Joe Biden – Jill Biden – 2013 Presidential Inauguration Day by Glyn Lowe PhotoWorks found HERE and is used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.
