Monday, May 19

Former United States President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and unfortunately, his condition is extremely serious.

After he experienced urinary issues, Biden went to his doctor, who did a scan on the area. The doctor noticed a small nodule on his prostate, and quickly took a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan to see if there was any cancer in the area.

The diagnosis was very severe-- Biden has stage 4 cancer, meaning that it has already spread to his bones and is now incurable. While prostate cancer is relatively common in older men, Biden's cancer is extremely aggressive. The doctor determined that the cancer had a score of 9 on the Gleason index, which is a score that analyzes the aggressiveness of the cancer cells. Unfortunately, 9-10 is the highest score possible.

The cancer can be treated, but it cannot be removed entirely due to its status as stage 4. Biden is now looking towards his doctors to determine an appropriate treatment for the disease, which could help to extend his life expectancy by several years.

However, Biden is now 82 years old, and many people had concerns about his health even when he was in office. During his term, Biden became the oldest-ever US president, and he experienced mental decline despite denials from the Democratic Party.

Biden failed to recognize famous stars, zoned out during events, and tripped up dozens of times in speeches, including the infamous moment when he accidentally introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russia's President Vladimir Putin. His performance in the first presidential debate against President Trump seemed to seriously display signs of his mental decline, leading to his withdrawal from the 2024 election later on.

Nevertheless, Biden and many Democrats still deny these allegations, claiming that Biden was perfectly fit for office and had no health issues. Now that he is out of office, this diagnosis has confirmed that the former president is facing some health challenges. Despite that, though, his doctors have told him that he can live a mostly normal life after receiving treatment, and the new treatments they give him could extend his life expectancy by up to 10 years.

Upcoming Events:

• World Fair Play Day (Monday, May 19)

• French Open Begins (Monday, May 19)

• World Bee Day (Tuesday, May 20)

• International Tea Day (Wednesday, May 21)

• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (Wednesday, May 21)

• International Day for Biological Diversity (Thursday, May 22)

• Declaration of the Bab (Thursday, May 22)

• International Day of the Markhor (Saturday, May 24)

• World Football Day (Sunday, May 25)

• Table Tennis World Championship Ends (Sunday, May 25)

• IIHF World Hockey Championship Ends (Sunday, May 25)

Fact of the Day (BBC): While hippos are very scary in the water, they can't actually swim. Hippos have huge bones-- so big and dense, in fact, that they’re barely buoyant at all. They don’t swim and instead perform a slow-motion gallop on the riverbed or on the sea floor. In fact, hippos can even sleep underwater, thanks to a built-in reflex that allows them to bob up, take a breath, and sink back down without waking.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Maturity is when you have the power to destroy someone who did you wrong but you just breathe, walk away, and let life take care of them. (Unknown)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Talisman (noun, TAL-iss-mun) - A talisman is an object (such as a ring or stone) that is believed to have magic powers and to cause good things to happen to the person who has it.

In a Sentence: In ancient times, the gemstone was worn as a talisman to ward off evil.