In a life defined by tragedy, Biden the ‘fighter’ faces his latest test

Former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis marks the latest chapter in the family’s tragic history.

Former President Joe Biden and his family were preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of his son Beau’s passing from brain cancer on May 30. Two weeks before that solemn day, the elder Biden had been dealt a cancer diagnosis of his own. The 82-year-old former president’s diagnosis — an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones — is the latest chapter in his family’s tragic history. Each episode has played out in very painful and public ways, from the untimely deaths of three of his loved ones to the depths of a son’s drug addiction to Biden’s exit from political life as the limitations of his age were on display. At the same time, his ability to connect with others experiencing grief and the resilience needed to overcome that type of loss and personal setback have become central to Biden’s public persona. In the hours after his diagnosis was made public, his allies used a common word to describe him — fighter. “Joe Biden has always been a fighter, and I know that won’t change as he confronts this disease head-on,” Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a close ally of Biden, said on Sunday. “Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” his former Vice President Kamala Harris said.