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 given a ‘Gleason score’ that 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.’
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.
