First lady Jill Biden had three lesions removed on Wednesday during outpatient surgery at Walter Reed National Military Hospital – with at least two of them determined to be cancerous.
Dr. Biden had gone in for a procedure to remove a lesion from above her right eye, which White House Dr. Kevin O’Connor said was confirmed to be basal cell carcinoma.
Doctors also excised a lesion from her left eyelid and sent it in for microscopic examination to determine if it was cancerous.
They also found a lesion on her chest, which appeared to be basal cell carcinoma, and doctors extracted. They later confirmed it was that type of skin cancer.
‘All cancerous tissue was successfully removed,’ O’Connor said.
Jill Biden, 71, is the oldest first lady in modern American history.
She is experiencing facial swelling and bruising but is expected to return to the White House later Wednesday, spending more than eight hours at the hospital.
President Joe Biden accompanied the first lady to Walter Reed for the outpatient procedure that is known as Mohs surgery.
First Lady Jill Biden leaves the White House before outpatient surgery to remove a small lesion above her right eye, known as Mohs surgery
The lesion was found during a ‘routine skin cancer screening,’ according to a memo
Dr. Kevin O’Connor said that one of the lesion was determined to be basal cell carcinoma, another was removed because it appeared to be the same type of skin cancer, while a third was removed and sent into a lab
President Joe Biden returns to the White House after spending the day at Walter Reed alongside his wife
The president returned to the White House early Wednesday evening via Marine One without the first lady, as she continued to recover.
Mohs Surgery is an outpatient procedure where thin layers of skin are cut away and tested for cancer.
Jill Biden’s office announced last week she would undergo the procedure, providing a letter from O’Connor.
In his letter today, the Physician to the President noted that ‘basal cell carcinoma lesions do not tend to spread or “metastasize” as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma are known to do.’
‘They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal,’ he wrote.
Prior to Wednesday’s procedure, Dr. Biden had a ‘common medical procedure’ done at an outpatient center near the George Washington University campus in April 2021, with the White House not disclosing additional details.
And, in July 2021, she traveled to Walter Reed to have debris removed from her foot after she stepped on an unnamed object while walking on a beach in Hawaii during a pit stop made in the state as she returned from the Tokyo Olympics.
Reporters asked press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if the president was undergoing any part of his physical while waiting on the first lady at Walter Reed, and she indicated that wasn’t the case.
‘Again, this is about his wife today. He wanted to be there and support her,’ Jean-Pierre. ‘They’ve been married for 45 years and he wanted to be there with Dr. Biden during this time.’
Last week, the East Wing released a letter from Physician to the President, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, saying that Dr. Biden would undergo the procedure Wednesday
The first lady steps off Marine One at the National Military Medical Center in Bethesda
Jill Biden accompanied President Joe Biden on his trip to Mexico for ‘Three Amigo’ summit
Jill Biden praised the NFL for its ‘integrity’ during an event in Mexico City
Wednesday’s procedure was done after the Bidens returned from a three-day trip to Mexico, where they met with their Mexican and Canadian counterparts as part of the ‘Three Amigos’ summit.
The first lady toured the renowned Templo Mayor Museum Tuesday afternoon with her counterparts Dr Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller of Mexico and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau of Canada.
She also gave a shoutout to her beloved Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the New York Giants in Sunday night’s playoff game.
‘I’m a big supporter of the NFL. Actually, on the plane here yesterday, I was watching the Eagles beat the Giants,’ she said.
She praised the NFL for ‘teaching our children the values of respect and integrity.’
The first lady joined local students in Mexico City for a Tochito NFL flag football event, which promotes gender equality and girls’ empowerment.
‘I always say that sports is the international language. And you can see how children from within countries, children playing other children from other countries – It’s all about unity. And believing in the same values and goals.’
The first lady joined local students for a Tochito NFL flag football event, which promotes gender equality and girls’ empowerment
Jill Biden, who teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College, did give the school kids a little grief on Monday.
‘You know I’m a teacher so I’m just wondering like, Did you skip school to be here?,’ she said. ‘Maybe,’ she noted when the kids looked sheepish. ‘Okay, thank you for being here.’
Before the NFL event on Monday, she hosted a conversation on women’s empowerment at the official residence of the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar.
‘We have never been silent,’ she told the group. ‘But women have been silenced. For many women around the world, simply raising their voice is a struggle and they had to fight for a seat at the table.
‘When women are left behind or pushed out, it hurts us all. But when women get the opportunities they deserve, there’s no limit to what we can do.’
First Lady Jill Biden was in Mexico to accompany President Joe Biden on his three-day trip
First Lady Jill Biden listens to Monsignor Salvador Martinez during her visit to the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City, which she stopped at after she arrived in Mexico on Sunday
