What We Know About Jill Biden's Health (& Why She Had Surgery)

Jill Biden takes her health seriously and has enjoyed good physical condition throughout her life, but she wasn't immune to the negative effects of long-term sun exposure, developing skin cancer in her 70s. It's the most common type of cancer in the U.S., affecting an estimated one in five Americans. The setback was hard for the former first lady, but it inspired her to continue to lead a healthy lifestyle to prevent other ailments.

Biden has always paid special attention to her diet, making it a priority even with a crazy busy schedule. She kept her English teaching job throughout her tenures as second and later first lady, meaning she was rarely not working. However, she still made time to pack her own lunch, consisting more frequently of fish and vegetables. "I like fresh food more than fried cafeteria food, so that's what I pack," she told Women's Health in 2023. Then at night, she preferred to have a big salad to finish the day off right.

Besides diet, Biden also prioritized physical strength, making sure to fit a good workout into her packed schedule. The way she found to do that was to wake up extra early and work out first thing in the morning. "I need to be with myself and find inner strength so I can be strong for everyone else," she said. Her exercise routine has paid off, which Biden's killer legs are proof of. Because she's so health-conscious, Biden had a hard time amid her setback. 

In January 2023, Jill Biden went in to remove a lesion above her right eye. During the outpatient procedure, known as Mohs surgery, doctors noticed two other abnormal-looking lesions — one on her left eyelid and the other on her chest, Biden's press secretary Vanessa Valdivia shared on X, previously known as Twitter. The original lesion she went in for and the one on her chest turned out to be basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer and one that generally doesn't metastasize.

Her doctor removed all cancerous cells from both spots and was confident she would need no further interventions. "I am so lucky that they caught it, they removed it, and I'm healthy," she told the AP. Despite the positive outcome, Biden still struggled in the aftermath of her cancer diagnosis. "It was a little harder than I thought to hear those words," she said. Biden's past experiences with cancer came rushing back, resurfacing trauma-related feelings. "I've heard [those words] for so many members of my family," she explained.

In 2015, Jill lost her stepson, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer at 46. But she had been a cancer advocate long before, launching the Biden Breast Health Initiative in 1993. She felt compelled to act after four close friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Not all of them survived. "Winnie inspired me to take up the cause of prevention and education," she said in a 2022 speech (via The Washington Post).