Dr. Jill Biden Says She Prays to Late Son Beau Biden As Joe Biden Battles Aggressive Prostate Cancer

 

Dr. Jill Biden Says She Prays to Late Son Beau Biden As Joe Biden Battles Aggressive Prostate Cancer

In an emotional and deeply personal interview, former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden has shared how her family is leaning on faith, memory, and each other as former President Joe Biden faces an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Speaking on a new podcast, Dr. Biden revealed that she prays to her late son, Beau Biden, every day for strength and guidance.

The candid moment offers a rare glimpse into how the Biden family is navigating yet another painful cancer journey, more than a decade after losing Beau to brain cancer.

A Mother's Prayer in a Difficult Season

Appearing on The Jamie Kern Lima Show on August 17, Dr. Jill Biden, 74, opened up about grief, resilience, and the emotional toll of her husband's recent diagnosis.

Former President Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed in May with an aggressive stage 4 prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone.

"I pray to Beau, and I think he listens, and now with … Joe's cancer diagnosis, I get a little frustrated and I say, 'Beau, where are you? I need you,'" Jill Biden said during the conversation.

According to reports from the podcast, she shared that she prays to Beau every morning, asking him to be present and to watch over his father during treatment. It was a raw, human moment from a woman who has spent years in the public eye, but who is, at her core, a wife, a mother, and a caregiver.

She described the diagnosis as something that became "so serious, so fast," a sentiment many families who have faced cancer will instantly recognize.

Remembering Beau Biden

For the Biden family, cancer is not an unfamiliar enemy. Beau Biden, Joe Biden's eldest son from his first marriage to Neilia Hunter Biden, died on May 30, 2015, at the age of 46 after a courageous battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Beau was a former Delaware Attorney General, an Iraq War veteran, and widely seen as carrying his father's political legacy. His death left a profound void in the family that Jill Biden has spoken about openly over the years.

"I've been through this cancer journey many times with members of my family, of course with Beau — it's constant. It's daily. And I think it's challenging," she said on a recent episode of SiriusXM's Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa.

That shared history with cancer is what makes her current words resonate so deeply. For Jill Biden, who is an educator with a doctorate in education, Beau was not just a stepson, but a son in every sense. She has often said that becoming Beau and Hunter's mom was one of the most important decisions of her life.

Joe Biden's Health Battle: What We Know

Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis was made public in May 2025, just months after leaving the White House. According to statements shared by the family and reported by People and USA Today, the cancer is classified as stage 4 and has spread to his bones.

Dr. Jill Biden has been honest about the long-term reality. In two recent podcast appearances, she shared that her husband will live with cancer for the rest of his life.

"He will forever live with cancer," she said. "We have to be mindful of it every three months, testing and medicines."

She added that Joe Biden is currently undergoing radiation and hormone therapy and that his doctors are optimistic about the effectiveness of the treatment. Despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, she said he is "doing okay" and remains in good spirits.

In an earlier interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Jill Biden also shared that the diagnosis was shocking because Joe Biden had undergone regular evaluations while in the White House. She noted that routine prostate cancer screenings are not generally recommended for men over 70, according to the American Urological Association, because the disease can often be slow-growing.

The Power of Grief, Faith and Family

What makes Jill Biden's latest interview so powerful is not the political headline, but the human one. Grief doesn't have a timeline. For many who have lost a child, a parent, or a partner, talking to them, praying to them, and asking them for help is a natural part of healing.

Millions of Americans could relate to her words: "I get a little frustrated and I say, 'Beau, where are you? I need you.'"

It captures the frustration, the loneliness, and the desperate search for comfort that comes when a family faces a life-altering diagnosis. It also shows the deep bond that remains between a mother and a son, even after death.

The Biden family has long been open about how they support each other through tragedy. From the loss of Joe Biden's first wife and infant daughter in a car accident in 1972, to Beau's death in 2015, and now to Joe's own health challenge, their story has been one of resilience rooted in family.

Hunter Biden also recently spoke about his father's condition, calling it "very painful" and "really sad to watch," adding that he wishes his father would "complain more" instead of trying to stay strong for everyone else.

A Message That Resonates Beyond Politics

Regardless of political affiliation, the experience of watching a loved one fight cancer is universal. Jill Biden's story is a reminder that behind every public figure is a private family navigating fear, hope, and faith one day at a time.

Her decision to speak so openly about praying to Beau is not just a personal coping mechanism — it gives voice to countless caregivers and parents who find strength in remembering those they have lost while fighting for those who are still here.

As the Biden family moves forward with ongoing treatment, monitoring every three months, and a lifetime of care ahead, Jill Biden's message is simple and profoundly human: love continues, even after loss, and sometimes, prayer is the only way to keep that connection alive