Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Cancer Moonshot Event at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center
Richmond, Virginia
Thank you, Dr. Winn. I just met Dr. Winn, but I feel like I already have a friend for life.
Governor Northam is here with his First Lady. I had to remind the Governor that as a Virginia school teacher, I’m one of his employees.
From your groundbreaking research, to your community outreach, to your radio show, everyone can see how passionate you are about bringing communities together and saving lives.
And in a month dedicated to remembering the history and honoring the contributions of Black Americans, it’s clear that you are continuing the legacy of Dr. Daniel Williams, the first physician to successfully perform open-heart surgery, and Dr. Helen Dickens, the renowned OB-GYN who also founded inner-city clinics for cancer and teenage pregnancy, and so many others who have helped shape medicine for the future.
I recently had the chance to virtually visit the National Cancer Institute, and Dr. Sharpless told my team about you and the great things that Massey is doing. So, I had to see it for myself.
Dr. Sharpless, thank you for your leadership at NCI, and for accompanying me today.
Thank you all, for hosting us—it was great to visit the labs and see your work.
Medicine is a science. Effective treatments and cures require inclusive research, rigorous study, data collection, and analysis. Learning more about the research and innovation in this community has been inspiring. So many brilliant minds are pushing us forward, every day.
But medicine is also an art. And the best science in the world can only go so far without trust, collaboration, and communication with those who need it most.
As we’re discussing today, the divide between clinics and communities persists. For a variety of reasons, many Americans are being left behind in one of the most medically-advanced countries in the world. And the results are health inequities and lives lost.
We owe ourselves better.
Cancer is personal to me.
In our lifetime, the President and I have found ourselves sitting at far too many chemotherapy chairs and hospital beds. Cancer has taken more from us than we ever imagined. It’s broken our hearts. It’s stolen our joy.
And we’re not alone. I’m sure the people with us today and watching have stories of their own.
Cancer touches everyone.
But out of sorrow, we found purpose. The President and I made it our mission to help end cancer as we know it.
And we saw how much potential there is—to bring people together around this cause, to break through the obstacles, to connect the disconnected.
I was in my early 40s, when a close friend of mine named Winnie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She was a mom, and her three kids were teenagers who were not much younger than my own.
After Winnie, another friend confided in me that she had breast cancer as well. Then another. Then another.
In one year, I watched four of my friends face down that same deadly disease. Three of them survived, but Winnie did not.
I felt helpless. I hated knowing how many women would die because of the shame, secrecy, and misinformation that surrounded breast cancer at the time.
I wanted to do something, but I wasn’t a medical doctor or scientist. I was a teacher.
So, I turned to what I knew: education.
With a collaboration of doctors, nurses, and breast cancer advocates, we started the Biden Breast Health Initiative in Delaware, my home state. Together, we created an education program for high school girls.
We knew if we could teach them about screenings, self-exams, and healthy habits, they would take those messages home to their moms and sisters, aunts and grandmas.
Over the next few years, we visited almost every high school in Delaware. We helped create honest conversations about a difficult subject. And we met families where they were.
In the face of challenges as enormous as cancer and the health disparities that plague our communities, it’s easy to feel helpless.
But we’re not.
The researchers and medical professionals here at Massey are pushing the science of medicine every day.
But I’m just as grateful for the work you do for the art of medicine as well—building trust and relationships, empowering communities to bring their own talents to this fight.
In fact, this center’s work, and especially Facts and Faith Fridays, show us what’s possible when our leadership reflects the communities our organizations serve.
From lifesaving information about COVID, to cancer screenings and prevention, to addressing the conditions that affect wellness, like housing and employment, this group is tackling some of the most important health issues right now.
And they are doing it by working hand in hand with the Richmond community—and beyond. Meeting people where they are.
This group reminds us that you don’t have to have a medical degree to help.
You just have to do what you can to reach out to the people who are hurting.
Faith leaders were some of our first healers, caring for people’s bodies and spirits. And our churches, temples, and mosques have a critical role to play in the health of our communities.
The Facts and Faith group—all of you here and watching today—are critical to creating a healthier world, too.
Because you know what’s at stake and how to earn trust. You know how to empower the patients who too often feel powerless. And you are saving lives.
This has been a difficult time for everyone. Just this week, we passed a grim milestone: 500,000 Americans gone because of COVID-19.
And though we all feel the weight of that number, communities of color are carrying a heavier share of this burden—mourning their loved ones in higher numbers.
And it’s not just this pandemic—health inequities have hurt communities for far too long. Suffering and pain surround us.
And yet, out of sorrow, you have found purpose.
As the Gospel of John says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
You are that light: Showing us what is possible when we allow our hope to lead. Building a bridge between science and art, between research and real lives. Between faith and facts.
And that’s why I’m here today: to listen and learn from you.
Dr. Winn?
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