Former President Joe Biden completed a round of radiation treatment for his aggressive form of prostate cancer on Monday.
Biden had been undergoing treatment at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia for several weeks. The former president’s daughter, Ashley Biden, hailed the milestone in a post on social media.
‘Rung the bell! Thank you to the incredible doctors, nurses, and staff at Penn Medicine. We are so grateful!’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘He rang the bell today,’ Biden spokeswoman Kelly Scully confirmed, according to CBS News.
‘Dad has been so damn brave throughout his treatment. Grateful,’ Ashley wrote in a follow-up post.
It is common practice for cancer treatment centers to have patients ring a bell when they complete a round of radiation treatment. It serves as both a mark of progress for the patient and a form of encouragement for other patients undergoing treatment in the facility.
It is unclear whether Biden will need to undergo further rounds of radiation therapy.
Biden announced his diagnosis with prostate cancer in May, saying it had already metastasized and spread to his bones. The announcement redoubled concerns that the White House was not being forthright about Biden’s health during his time in office.
Biden also underwent surgery Sept. 4 to remove cancerous skin cells through a procedure known as Mohs surgery.
During his presidency, Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest, the White House previously said. Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor noted in February 2023 that a biopsy of skin tissue taken during a health assessment revealed cancerous cells, all of which were successfully removed.
Fox News’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
