Jill Biden’s, EdD, diagnosis and treatment for basal cell carcinoma fueled her cancer research and screening advocacy, according to an article published in the Associated Press. Dr. Biden first began her cancer advocacy after she lost a friend to breast cancer in 1993 and founded the Biden Breast Health Initiative to educate young people about the disease. In the subsequent 22 years, she lost her mother, father, and stepson to cancer. The Bidens’ Cancer Moonshot initiative—spurred in part by the death of Beau Biden—aims to cut cancer mortality in half by 2047 and improve quality of life for patients diagnosed with the disease. Before her husband Joe Biden was elected president, the family started the Biden Cancer Initiative charity—and since he has been elected, she has used her platform to champion finding a cure for cancer, ending disparities in cancer care, and advocating for early cancer screening. “We’re going to break down the walls that hold research back. We’re going to bring the best of our nation together—patients, survivors, caregivers, researchers, doctors, and advocates—so that we can get this done,” Dr. Biden declared at the launch of the Cancer Moonshot initiative in February 2022.
May 25, 2023