Former president Joe Biden opens up about his battle with a serious illness: “It has slowed me down; there are difficult days too

In a post on the social media platform X, 83-year-old former U.S. President Joe Biden described the difficulties he faces in his daily life because of prostate cancer, acknowledging that the disease has slowed him down and limited his public activities.

Biden said his doctors remain optimistic about how he is responding to treatment, although his condition varies from day to day.

“There are better days and more difficult days. It hasn’t stopped me, but sometimes it slows me down.”

Biden explained that because of the illness, he will not be able to attend as many events and promotional appearances as he had planned for his new memoir.

“While writing the book, I was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that millions of Americans and their families know all too well,” the former president wrote.

The battle with cancer and treatment

Biden announced his diagnosis in 2025, after leaving the White House. He said that by the time it was discovered, the cancer had spread to his bones.

The former president underwent radiation therapy in the fall of 2025, and completed an important phase of treatment in October of that year.

He has thanked the medical team caring for him and said he continues to pursue activities that matter to him, including finishing his book.

Last month, during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Biden urged men to get regular medical checkups, stressing the importance of early diagnosis.

What will the new book contain?

The former U.S. president’s new book will focus on his years in the White House, the challenges he faced and the major decisions of his presidency.

Biden said the book will also address America’s identity, the values it represents and its role on the international stage.

Despite his health challenges, he says he hopes his memoir will convey its message to readers, even if he is unable to promote it in person at the events he had planned.

“When you get knocked down, get back up.”

At the end of his message, Biden also shared advice he said his father once gave him.

“Son, when you get knocked down, get back up,” he wrote, calling it an important lesson for both himself and America.

The former president ended his message with a reflection on American identity and the values of democracy.

“We are an exceptional nation. Unlike other countries, we are built on an idea. An idea bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any army and stronger than any tyrant or dictator. That idea? All people are created equal,” Biden concluded.