NEED TO KNOW-Joe Biden “rang the bell” as he celebrated the end of his radiation treatments for cancer this week
The former president’s daughter, Ashley Biden, shared photos and video as Biden’s family joined him to celebrate the health milestone
Biden announced in May that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones
Joe Biden celebrated the completion of his radiation treatments for cancer this week and was surrounded by family as he “rang the bell.”
Joe Biden.
Ashley Biden/Instagram (2)
“Rung the bell! Thank you to the incredible doctors, nurses, and staff at Penn Medicine,” Ashley captioned the clip. “We are so grateful!”
She also shared a photo of her dad posing with one of his doctors, as well as a family photo where the president smiles alongside his wife, Jill Biden, and two of his grandchildren, Natalie and Robert “Hunter” Biden II, the children of Biden’s late son, Beau.
“Dad has been so damn brave throughout his treatment. Grateful,” Ashley captioned the pic.
Joe Biden “rings the bell” after completing radiation treatment on Oct. 20, 2025.
Ashley Biden/Instagram
“Ringing the bell” is a tradition for cancer patients that’s believed to have started at the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1996.
According the MD Anderson website, Irve Le Moyne, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, was undergoing radiation for head and neck cancer and told his doctor that he planned to ring a bell “when the job was done,” a Naval tradition. He donated the brass bell that he used in his celebration, and it was mounted on a plaque at the cancer center with an inscription by Le Moyne, titled “Ringing Out.”
“Ring this bell / Three times well / Its toll to clearly say / My treatment’s done / This course is run / And I am on my way!”
(L to R) Ashley Biden, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Natalie Biden, Robert “Hunter” Biden II.
Ashley Biden/Instagram
On May 18, 2025, Biden’s personal office announced in a statement that the longtime politician had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
At the time, the positive news was that “the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” Biden’s office said.
ABC News confirmed that the president had completed his radiation treatment on Oct. 20, adding that it was unclear if additional therapy would be needed.
In a lengthy interview with podcaster Andrew Callaghan in July 2025, Biden’s son Hunter opened up about his father’s health, revealing that the cancer had metastasized to his spinal cord.
“They can treat it, but it’s not curable,” he said. “The one thing about my dad is that he will never complain. Sometimes, I wish he would…. But he just keeps going.”
Joe Biden “rings the bell” after completing radiation treatment on Oct. 20, 2025.
Ashley Biden/Instagram
In September, Biden also underwent Mohs surgery, a procedure used to treat skin cancer, a spokesperson for the former president confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
The news came after Inside Edition published a video of Biden leaving a church in Rehoboth Beach, Del., with a large wound on his forehead.
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In his interview with Callaghan, Hunter spoke to his father’s indomitable spirit, even in the face of health struggles and personal tragedy.
“I think people think it’s an exaggeration. My dad does not go a day without leaving me a message by phone or by text,” he shared. “The lesson he learned from when he lost my mom and my sister is that you will have a day in your worst moment, like he did, in which you won’t be able to pick up the phone and call that person ever again.”
“All I know is this: I’m more proud to be my dad’s son than anything in my life,” Hunter said. “I truly mean that.”
