News broke recently that former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of metastatic prostate cancer. The disease, which has now spread to his bones, is life-threatening and deeply serious.

Let me say this clearly: Whether you love him or hate him, whether you voted for him or not — this kind of news should stop us all in our tracks.

Because before anything else — before politics, power or policy — Biden is a man. A husband. A father. A grandfather. And like any man facing this kind of diagnosis, he is someone now staring down the hardest fight of his life.

This is a moment that demands our empathy — not our ideology.

We’ve all said things about political figures in the heat of the moment. We’ve criticized their records, their decisions, their rhetoric. That comes with the territory. Politics, by its very nature, is a tough and often brutal arena. But there’s a difference between sharp policy disagreement and dehumanizing cruelty.

We must never let the politics we practice override the humanity we’re called to live out.

Biden’s cancer is not just aggressive — it’s advanced. And what makes this news even more concerning is that the warning signs may have been missed — or worse, ignored. According to Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a prominent oncologist and former health adviser in the Obama administration, this form of cancer could have been developing inside Biden for up to a decade.

Emanuel said what many in the medical world are thinking: Where was the screening? Where were the prostate-specific antigen tests? These are standard for men of Biden’s age — simple, accessible tools that can detect cancer early, when it’s still treatable.

Yet Biden’s publicly released medical records, reviewed annually during his presidency, showed no PSA test results at all. That’s deeply concerning.

And it should be a wakeup call — not just about transparency in public office but about how we talk about and prioritize men’s health in general.

Let me be honest: I’m not a doctor. But I know the facts. Prostate cancer is on the rise, and it’s hitting younger men with greater frequency than ever before. The American Cancer Society used to recommend screening at age 50. Now they suggest age 45 — and for high-risk groups, including African American men and those with a family history, screening should begin as early as 40.

In fact, more and more men in their 30s — and even their 20s — are starting to get tested early, just to be safe. And here’s the good news: Nearly all insurance plans cover these exams. That includes PSA screenings.

Prostate cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer if it’s caught early. But once it spreads, the story changes. Dramatically. So I say this to every man reading: Don’t wait. Don’t delay. Get checked.

It takes 10 minutes and could save your life.

As someone who’s spent his career at the intersection of politics and culture, I understand the reflex to spin everything through a partisan lens. But some things transcend partisanship. This is one of them.

I sincerely hope Biden receives the very best care possible and that his family finds strength and comfort during this difficult season. Regardless of your politics, he deserves our prayers and compassion — not just as a former president but as a fellow American facing a fight none of us would wish on anyone.

And if anything good can come out of this situation, let it be this: that men across this country take their health more seriously. That we stop treating strength as silence. That we make our well-being a priority — not just for ourselves but for the people who love us and depend on us.

Politics may divide us. But our shared mortality should unite us. Get checked, stay informed and above all — stay human.

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