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The White House physician has provided the country with an update concerning First Lady Jill Biden after minor surgery to have a cancerous lesion removed above her right eye. Dr. Kevin O’Connor provided the details in a memo to the first lady’s press secretary Vanessa Valdivia on Wednesday.
“All cancerous tissue was successfully removed, and the margins were clear of any residual skin cancer cells,” the memo said. “We will monitor the area closely as it heals, but do not anticipate any more procedures will be needed.”
ABC News noted further: “The physician also noted that during her pre-op examination, an “additional area of concern” was identified on the left side of her chest, which was “consistent with potential basal cell carcinoma” and also removed using Mohs surgery. O’Connor said basal carcinoma cells don’t tend to metastasize, as other skin cancers do. The lesion was discovered during a routine skin cancer screening and doctors had recommended it protectively be removed and analyzed for any signs of cancer through a procedure called Mohs surgery.”
“As anticipated, the First Lady is experiencing some facial swelling and bruising but is in good spirits and feeling well,” O’Connor said.
“Mohs surgery is considered the most effective technique for treating many basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), the two most common types of skin cancer,” says the Skin Cancer Foundation, per the news outlet. “Sometimes called Mohs micrographic surgery, the procedure is done in stages, including lab work, while the patient waits. This allows the removal of all cancerous cells for the highest cure rate while sparing healthy tissue and leaving the smallest possible scar.”
President Joe Biden accompanied the first lady via Marine One to nearby Walter Reed hospital, where she had the procedure.
Last week, in announcing the discovery of the lesions, O’Connor noted in a separate memo: “In an abundance of caution, doctors have recommended that it be removed.”
“The first lady is scheduled for what O’Connor referred to as a ‘common outpatient procedure’ known as Mohs surgery to remove and examine the tissue. The procedure will take place Jan. 11 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland,” NBC News reported.
During a routine skin cancer screening, a small lesion was found above the First Lady’s right eye. Memo here from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Physician to the President, with more information on the First Lady’s upcoming outpatient procedure to have it removed and examined. pic.twitter.com/DIQrnjtZFc
— Vanessa Valdivia (@vvaldivia46) January 4, 2023
Her diagnosis and her scheduled surgery come about a year after she vowed to “end the tragedy of cancer as we know it.”
Cancer touches us all. It’s part of our family’s story, and part of so many Americans’ stories. But together, we can end the tragedy of cancer as we know it. https://t.co/v0FwzKdP0E
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) December 23, 2021
After having doubts as recently as this fall about her husband, President Joe Biden, campaigning for a second term, the first lady is said to be “all in” for a 2024 campaign, CNN reported last month.
“[Jill Biden] is the one more aware of how the last few years have affected Joe [Biden,]” a source said. “We, collectively, as a country, all know the age issue, sure. But she’s the one who is consistently able to analyze it.” Another source said: “She’s the one who thinks about every possible scenario that could play out for her family.”
When she attended a town hall in December, she spoke about the demands on her time.
“This time of year is busy, to say the least,” the first lady said. “I know that you probably have holiday shopping to do, cards to address, or cookies to bake. … It’s not easy, is it? Sometimes all these feel like a full-time job, on top of volunteering or organizing or your real full-time job.”
After the November midterms, the president said that the decision would be made with him and his family during the holidays, with an official announcement at the start of 2023.
“I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re going to have discussions about it. I hope Jill and I get a little time to actually sneak away for a week around, between Christmas and Thanksgiving. And my guess is it would be early next year we make that judgment,” the president said.
Reports have said that Biden has since decided to run again in 2024.
