“After going through both treatment and surgery for breast cancer, she is now considered cancer-free,” DeSantis said in a video message posted on Twitter, in which he thanked the public for support.
“For all the women out there going through breast cancer right now, you can overcome this,” the governor continued. “I know it’s very difficult but my wife is proof positive. If you wound back six or seven months, this is exactly the kind of news that we had hoped for. She still has more to do but I’m confident she is going to make a full recovery.”
The governor’s office announced the diagnosis of Casey DeSantis in October 2021. The 41-year-old first lady of Florida is a former television producer and host for the PGA tour. She and the governor were married in 2010 and share three young children.
Casey DeSantis released her own statement following the governor’s announcement, saying there are “no words to express how truly blessed, grateful and humbled I am to hear the words cancer-free.”
“To those who are in the fight, know there is hope. Have faith and stay strong,” she wrote on Twitter.
Several politicians and commentators reacted to the positive message from DeSantis on Thursday.
Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, a Republican representing Florida’s 27th district, tweeted: “The power of prayer never fails. May the Lord continue to keep you healthy & strong @FLCaseyDeSantis.”
Kayleigh McEnany, former White House press secretary for ex-President Donald Trump, also posted a message. “It is so wonderful to hear that our great First Lady of Florida @FLCaseyDeSantis is now cancer free. My family has been praying for Casey and will continue to pray for all those fighting breast cancer!” McEnany wrote.
Florida’s first lady has been an active force in the governor’s administration. She has spearheaded a campaign to combat drug abuse and boost mental health in the Sunshine State.
Last fall, the governor urged all Florida residents to check up on their health and get their screenings.
“These screenings and the things that you do can really, really be life-saving,” DeSantis said at the time. “So I would just encourage folks, and not just women with breast cancer, but men—there’s things that we’re more susceptible to—make sure that you go in and do that when the physicians tell you to. She just had a feeling that she needed to do it, and so thank God that she did.”
Breast cancer is the second-most common cancer among women in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
