Thoughts on Joe Biden's Diagnosis - and the Jill Biden Question - From a Caregiver's Perspective

A week ago, news broke that former President Joe Biden had undergone a recent "routine physical exam" in which "a small nodule was found in the prostate."

As RedState reported, further testing showed that Biden, 82, had "prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone," according to the statement released Sunday by his personal office.

"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management," they went on to write, while noting treatment options were being discussed.

Having had the unexpected experience of finding out in October 2022 that my 79-year-old mom had stage IIIB colon cancer, my heart immediately went out to Biden and his family. Like many on both sides of the aisle, I prayed for them because the "C" word is a diagnosis no one ever wants to hear, especially when it's determined to be in an advanced stage, where the treatment options become more complex.

For the last two years or so, I've been chronicling my experiences as a caregiver for my mom through my VIP Caregiver's Diary series here at RedState, where I've shared more information on her diagnosis, the treatment she went through, the follow-up appointments (which, praise God, have been encouraging so far), and my feelings of guilt over how, maybe had I done something differently, we'd have found out her diagnosis sooner.

Understandably, many have questions about Joe Biden's diagnosis, and there has been much speculation about whether or not this was known previously when Biden was still in office and was just not shared with the public.

While I think those are valid questions, especially in the context of fresh revelations about what was known about Biden's cognitive health and the levels his handlers reportedly went to try and conceal the issues from voters, my thoughts have turned to what those closest to him, chiefly former First Lady Jill Biden, may have known about his cancer situation and when she may have known it.

First off, I want to stress that I am not a medical expert, certainly not a cancer expert, and am not a caregiving expert. I only have my experiences as a caregiver to a mom who went through cancer to go on.

But I feel like some experiences caregivers go through are fairly universal, which is why I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that the woman who was and is closest to Joe Biden didn't see symptoms sooner, and didn't know what was going on sooner considering the President of the United States is supposed to be having thorough yearly exams where clues about any potentially concerning issues sometimes can be found.

I know in my mom's case, she had been experiencing symptoms for at least two years, with the main one being iron deficiency anemia. She had to get periodic iron infusions. Though she had been urged to get a colonoscopy, she put it off because her primary concern at the time was taking care of my dad, for whom she was a full-time caregiver until his passing in June 2022.

Though the infusions helped, inevitably her iron levels would drop, which would prompt another appointment to get another infusion. I wasn't living with them at the time, as she was still self-sufficient, so not knowing anything beyond what she was telling me but certainly not suspecting cancer as we had no known history of cancer in our family, I encouraged her from time to time to see a GI specialist.

In the months leading up to mom's diagnosis, her symptoms were becoming more concerning - periodic nausea episodes, frequent bathroom trips, and low energy days were common. At this point, I was living with her and begging her to get a colonoscopy, which we finally scheduled and had done.

The sirens had been going off for Mom in her bloodwork and doctor visits for a couple of years, and she was in a later stage of cancer by the time it was discovered.

Considering the level of care the leader of the free world receives, I'm having a hard time believing Biden's labwork at the very least didn't show signs of a problem before this most recent exam, considering the stage his cancer is at now. Did it, and was it kept from us?

Did it, and did Jill Biden still urge her husband to run for reelection despite that? I think this is a fair question to ask.

We already know, for instance, that she has been his chief handler from day one, micromanaging his days and aggressively confronting staff over allegedly not doing a better job of controlling his public appearances.

Further, despite his cognitive decline, Jill Biden was encouraging him to run for a second term. And after the disastrous debate performance, the then-First Lady was adamant that Biden stay in the race, not wanting the debate to be the "defining image" of Biden's presidency, a point she reiterated during a May joint interview on "The View."

I think even without anyone knowing what she may have known before now about Biden's cancer issue, a convincing argument could still be made that Jill Biden's form of "caregiving" for her husband has, in my opinion, not been the model for how it should be done.

But if we find out at some point after the fact that she did know about this long before now and that she and others close to Biden kept quiet about it - and still urged him to run and stay in the race, well, I'll just leave the descriptive terms on that to others because mine won't be fit to print.

To read more of my Caregiver's Diary VIP series, please consider joining RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.