Dedicated to Cancer
- First Lady Jill Biden visited Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia, where she toured the labs and gave an inspiring speech, acknowledging the center’sand her owndedication to cancer. “Cancer touches everyone. But out of sorrow, we found purpose,” she said.
- Biden discussed health inequities, the importance of educating girls at a young age about breast cancer, and shared how much the disease has affected her family. She also describes medicine as an art. “Obviously medicine is a science … but medicine is also an art, and the best science in the world can only go so far without trust and collaboration and communication with those that need it most.”
- Ovarian cancer survivor Kelly Sargent was seeking support in a new city after her diagnosis, and the reward of finding a support system around her was “life-changing,” she tells SurvivorNet.
“Obviously medicine is a science … but medicine is also an art, and the best science in the world can only go so far without trust and collaboration and communication with those that need it most,” she said.
Read MoreView this post on Instagram
During her visit, Biden also discussed the center’s dedication to saving lives and how much they’ve shaped the future of medicine. Biden also received a tour of the labs at the center.
View this post on Instagram
“I have to tell you, it was so incredible. I got to see molecules and things that I never see in, you know, a classroom of literature,” she said, referring to her own job as a college English professor. “And I saw DNA being separated from bacteria, just amazing things, I wish you all could have been there on the trip through the labs, the physicians that I saw and the dedication to their work is just so so incredible.”
She continued: “Learning more about the innovation of this community and the research is just so inspiring,” she said.
Cancer Touches Everyone
Biden shared how much cancer has affected her family. “In our lifetime, the president and I have found ourselves sitting alongside too many chemotherapy chairs and hospital beds, cancer has taken more lives of our friends and family than we could ever imagine. It’s broken our hearts and its stolen our joy. And we are not alone …,” she said.
She continued: “Cancer touches everyone. But out of sorrow, we found purpose. The president and I made it our mission to help end cancer as we know it. And we saw how much potential there is to bring people together around this cause, to break through the obstacles and connect the disconnected.”
Biden shared that she had four friends in one year get diagnosed with cancer. “Three out of four survived,” she said, adding that she “felt so helpless.” She talked about the importance of educating girls in high schools, like she did throughout her home state of Delaware, about cancer screenings and healthy habits.
People Living with Cancer Need Support
As Biden mentioned today, she has supported many people going through cancer over the years. The support that you can provide for people going through cancer is monumental to that person, and a little support can go a long away. People going through cancer need the comfort of knowing their friends, loved ones, and community are there for them as much as (if not more than) their doctors. It takes a village, as they say.
Ovarian cancer survivor Kelly Sargent was seeking that type of support after moving to a new city, and thankfully it came back tenfold.
“When I was diagnosed, as soon as I got in the hospital, I started going online to find not only information, but also support groups, stories from survivors, anything that I could find as far as my treatment I definitely looked for,” she tells SurvivorNet.
“I have met some incredible people in San Antonio. Coming here not knowing anyone, I’ve been blessed with having met some incredible ladies. I have an incredible set of friends that I met after my diagnosis through a Bible study group that have become very, very close friends of mine that are an incredible part of my support system. That support from those ladies has been life-changing for me.”
The Benefit of Support Networks for Cancer Patients
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.