Brain Bleeds and Cancer That Spread to His Bones — Inside Joe Biden’s Health History
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Despite spending decades in the public eye, Joe Biden fought some of his most significant battles in the background. Quietly at first, it developed into something far more serious.
Joe Biden’s health was under constant investigation while he was president. His cognitive fitness was a major topic of discussion. However, Biden’s medical history predates the White House by a considerable amount.
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From brain hemorrhages to cancer that has spread to his bones, the former president has faced a number of severe health issues.
His struggle with disease has impacted his personal life, influenced his political trajectory, and lasted for decades. A moment that almost put a stop to everything started it all.
1988: Aneurysms
On a chilly winter morning in 1988, it was 4:10 a.m. Biden was fully clothed and lying on the floor of a hotel room when he was startled awake by a searing ache in his head. Later on, he would characterize it as “a rip of pain like I never felt before.”
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The 45-year-old senator has suffered from headaches for about a year. They disrupted his first presidential campaign and were unrelenting. Persuaded that it was a pinched nerve, he took up to 10 Tylenol every day.
He hurried to St. Francis Hospital, however, because this ache was distinct and intolerable. Blood in his spinal fluid, a sign of internal bleeding, was discovered during tests.
An aneurysm, a balloon-like growth on an artery near the base of his brain, was discovered by scans. His condition was serious, and blood was leaking around the brainstem due to its rupture.
Biden’s family urged on a transfer to Walter Reed Army Medical Center because they were worried that the local hospital would not be able to manage the case’s complexity. He had emergency surgery there. To halt the bleeding, surgeons cut the injured vessel. However, there was another danger.
On the other side of his brain, doctors discovered a second aneurysm. It would need another operation later that year, but it had not yet burst.
Biden’s bid for president at the time was ended by the operations, which kept him out of commission for months and caused a sluggish and uncertain recovery.
Pulmonary Embolisms in 1989
Brain surgery was not the end of the crisis. Biden encountered yet another potentially fatal situation in 1989. Biden was diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms, which are blood clots that migrate to the lungs and clog arteries, as he continued to recuperate from his aneurysms.
He was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center once more. He had a clot stuck in one of his lungs, the doctors found. The condition itself was significant, yet it did not cause any damage. A pulmonary embolism can be lethal if treatment is not received.
His hospital stay was prolonged by the complication. Doctors gave Biden less than a 50 percent chance of surviving, as he would subsequently disclose.
His chances were further deteriorated by the embolism and the aneurysms. It was a somber chapter in an expanding litany of health risks.
1996: Enlarged Prostate and Benign Polyp
Biden had a colonoscopy in 1996. They discovered and removed a polyp. It wasn’t harmful. He was also diagnosed with an enlarged prostate at the same time. He utilized Flomax, a typical drug used to treat urinary symptoms, to control the issue.
Atrial Fibrillation and Sleep Apnea, 2003–2006
Early in the new millennium, new issues surfaced. Biden had his gallbladder removed in June 2003. Shortly thereafter, he developed atrial fibrillation, an erratic heartbeat. In July 2006, the problem reappeared, and he pursued more treatment later that year.
Sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing regularly stops and resumes while you’re asleep, was connected by doctors to the cardiac rhythm abnormality. Fatigue, dyspnea, and an increased risk of stroke are all consequences of atrial fibrillation. Biden was recommended to take aspirin every day at the time as a preventative measure.
Atrial fibrillation is prevalent in older men, according to cardiac specialist Dr. Hugh Calkins of Johns Hopkins University, who said he didn’t think it would interfere with Biden’s capacity to hold public
service.
2015: A Family Disaster That Devastated Him
Biden experienced a very personal loss in 2015 that would change the course of his public life. This time, it was his oldest son Beau Biden’s diagnosis rather than his own.
The former attorney general of Delaware passed away from glioblastoma, a severe and aggressive kind of brain cancer, at the age of 46.
Biden was crushed by the loss. He talked candidly about how Beau continued to be a part of his life as he started his presidential campaign years later.
“He goes for walks with me. In 2020, Biden said MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he truly, honestly, does, even though it may seem foolish to others. “I know he’s in me, I know he’s part of me.”
2019–2020: Health Takes Center Stage Once More
By 2019, Biden had returned to the public glare, this time as a front-runner in the presidential contest. His appearances during the campaign attracted attention.
Critics questioned his intensity and cited language errors. Biden’s medical records were made public as part of a larger effort to reassure voters that he was mentally and physically capable of serving in office.
Biden’s medical history was well-documented by that point, including atrial fibrillation, embolisms, and aneurysms. However, he also received routine care and had a group of doctors keeping an eye on him.
2021: A Polyp Warns During a Typical Screening
The lengthy list of Biden health updates was supplemented in November 2021 with another medical breakthrough. Doctors found and removed a polyp from his colon during a routine colonoscopy.
It was characterized by the White House as “benign but potentially pre-cancerous.” Despite the removal’s success, the results raised questions.
Despite the medical team’s reassurance, the fact that the polyp had not been treated sooner and had gotten bigger over time aroused concerns. Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, determined that the growth was a tubular adenoma.
These polyps are frequently found and usually grow slowly. However, if treatment is not received, they have the potential to develop into cancer.
COVID-19 Affects the White House in 2022
Biden initially tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2022. He only had a dry cough, weariness, and a runny nose.
He continued to work remotely and stayed in seclusion at the White House residence. Paxlovid, an antiviral medication approved for high-risk patients, was given by his medical staff.
Biden’s diagnosis coincided with persistent national fear over the virus, despite official updates intended to calm the populace. In an attempt to convey steadiness, he conducted meetings via Zoom.
Biden had a rebound case, a recognized side effect of Paxlovid treatment, a few days after testing negative. He went back to isolation and treatment. He was quickly deemed totally recovered when this second round of COVID-19 also went smoothly.
Early 2023: Identification of Skin Cancer
Biden’s doctor characterized him as “healthy,” “vigorous,” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency” following a routine checkup in 2023.
However, a little lesion on his chest was discovered during the examination. After removal, it was sent for biopsy.
When the doctor reported, the results were still pending. Exams of his neurological system, eyes, throat, and ears were among the other assessments that came back normal.
A thorough neurologic evaluation revealed no evidence of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or stroke.
Afterwards, the skin lesion’s biopsy revealed that Biden had basal cell carcinoma, a prevalent type of skin cancer. There was no need for further surgeries because the lesion was successfully treated.
In a published memo, Dr. O’Connor said the spot had “healed nicely” and no additional care was needed. It was the first time Biden has received a cancer diagnosis in public while in office.
2024: An Additional COVID-19 Upheaval
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 once more in 2024. The prognosis was made at a crucial time, interfering with a major campaign event meant to increase support from Latino voters.
Biden’s symptoms remained moderate as before. He was properly vaccinated, boosted, and given a dosage of Paxlovid. When he told reporters in Las Vegas, “I feel good,” After a minor change to the campaign schedule, Biden soon returned to public appearances.
Biden’s health issues escalated to a breaking point by June 2024. The incumbent at the time looked clearly confused during a televised presidential debate. He faltered, lost his stream of thought, and found it difficult to answer straightforward inquiries.
Even his most ardent followers were taken aback by his performance. At first, aides blamed a cold, but internal evidence pointed to something much more serious.
The argument was a watershed. After a few days, Biden declared his intention to retire from the 2024 contest, allowing former Vice President Kamala Harris to win the Democratic nomination.
Biden briefly attended an Independence Day event on July 4. He watched the fireworks and said a few words. However, since the debate, every public appearance has come under increased scrutiny.
His verbal blunders and moments of bewilderment were major topics of discussion across the country.
2025: A Suspicious Bruise and Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Biden’s left hand was seen to have a significant bruise in January 2025, which prompted more concerns about his health.
At a public gathering in the State Dining Room of the White House, when the then-82-year-old president toasted the remarkable number of federal judges confirmed during his administration, the mark was first observed.
Social media users swiftly brought attention to the discoloration as images and videos of the incident went viral online.
One person on social media shared a zoomed-in video with the caption, “PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO JOE BIDEN’S HAND.” “Looks like he may be getting injected with something,” someone else commented.
Reactions and theories proliferate quickly. “Oh my God! Joe Biden is in possession of a bruise! What could this possible mean? I’m in shock. “My mind is whirling right now,” a different netizen said.
“The bruise on his hand seems to be there quite often,” one user wrote in a prior film from December 11, 2024. Take a look. There were many different theories, ranging from worries about intravenous therapies to presumptions about normal aging. Some made an effort to rationalize the conversation.
The White House did not formally comment on the bruise despite the increasing rumors. The internet discussion was only intensified by the absence of explanation.
In May 2025, the most alarming and catastrophic event occurred. The former president was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, which is an advanced stage of the disease where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, according to confirmation from Biden’s office. It had even gotten to Biden’s bones.
After Biden developed symptoms related to his urine and a lesion was discovered on his prostate, doctors started looking into the matter. Then came a biopsy.
The malignancy was given a high-grade Gleason score of 9, which denotes the presence of aberrant cells that are likely to proliferate and spread swiftly.
The National Institutes of Health states that Gleason scores fall between 6 and 10. Aggressive cancer is indicated with a score of 9.
Treatment gets more complicated if prostate cancer spreads to the bones. At this point, the disease is usually regarded as incurable, even though treatments can delay its progression.
