Albany Times Union

Cancer is personal for Biden

-

First lady Jill Biden visited a medical center in New Orleans on Friday to stress the importance of cancer research, a priority in the budget proposal President Joe Biden sent to Congress.

The first lady briefly touted her husband’s budget plan but the tone of the event was largely apolitical.

“Cancer doesn’t care who you vote for,” she told state and city leaders, doctors and researcher­s gathered for her visit.

She was introduced by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was at her side during her speech and tour at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center.

Cassidy had joined his fellow Republican­s a day earlier in criticizin­g the president’s overall budget plan. His remarks Friday stressed the need for early detection and treatment to prevent colorectal cancer deaths. And he said researcher­s can address Louisiana’s disproport­ionate number of colorectal cancer deaths “with the aid of the cancer moonshot,” a reference to the president’s cancer-fighting initiative.

Cassidy and his wife, Laura, who also was part of the tour, are physicians. They were joined by Democratic Rep. Troy Carter and New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell as they viewed laboratori­es and heard informatio­n on the center’s research and treatment efforts.

It’s a personal issue for the Bidens. According to the White House, Jill Biden’s advocacy for cancer education and prevention dates to 1993, when four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. The president’s eldest son, Beau, died from a brain tumor. And the president and first lady both recently had lesions removed that contained basal cell carcinoma, a kind of skin cancer.

Jill Biden recounted her family’s anguish when her sister, a cancer survivor, was first diagnosed. “My sisters and I were stunned when we heard her diagnosis,” she said. “Terrified of losing her.”

 ?? Chris Granger / Associated Press ?? First lady Jill Biden visits the Louisiana Cancer Research Center Friday to stress the importance of cancer research.
Chris Granger / Associated Press First lady Jill Biden visits the Louisiana Cancer Research Center Friday to stress the importance of cancer research.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States