First Lady Jill Biden Asks Busy Women to Get a Mammogram: ‘Nothing on Your To-Do List Is More Important’

As first lady, an English professor, a mother and a grandmother, Dr. Jill Biden’s daily to-do list is likely pretty long. But during Breast Cancer Awareness month, she’s taking time to remind women to prioritize their health.

“I get it. You’re busy. There are kids or grandkids to look after. You have so many things to take care of,” Biden, 70, says in a new PSA encouraging women to make an appointment for a mammogram. “Take a moment to put your health first. Get your mammogram. It might save your life. And nothing on your to-do list is more important than that.”

The first lady started encouraging women to educate themselves about breast cancer in 1993, when four of her friends were diagnosed with the disease, which currently affects one of eight women in the United States.  After her friends’ diagnoses, Dr. Biden “launched the Biden Breast Health Initiative to educate Delaware high school girls about the importance of early detection,” according to her official White House bio. “As First Lady, Dr. Biden continues to stress the importance of cancer research and early detection efforts, especially in underrepresented communities and rural areas.”

Many know that cancer has been a painful part of the Biden family history.  President Joe Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015, while he was still serving as Vice President to then President Barack Obama.  Now as President himself, Biden has said he will work diligently to end cancer, a continuation of his effort as part of the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative, which “accelerate(s) cancer research aims to make more therapies available to more patients, while also improving our ability to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage,” according to the organization’s website.

Dr. Biden’s PSA wraps with an invitation to visit the National Cancer Institute’s website, cancer.gov or to call 1-800-4-Cancer to get more information, including a fact sheet about mammograms.

“Between work, taking care of kids and grandkids, and all the demands of hectic modern life, women so often put themselves — and their health — last,” Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said in an interview with PEOPLE magazine. “Plus, with the global pandemic, many people have put off important health screenings, including mammograms. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the first lady is asking women to put their health first and schedule their mammogram if it’s time.”

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