BOWLING GREEN, Fla. — Florida's first lady has reached a major milestone in her battle against breast cancer.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that First Lady Casey DeSantis, 41, has completed her final chemotherapy treatment and has "responded very well."
"It's not the most fun thing to see someone go through, but at the end of the day, she's fought really hard," the governor said during a news conference at South Florida State College in Bowling Green.
The governor's office announced Casey DeSantis' cancer diagnosis on Oct. 4.
Since then, she's made several public appearances, including at a Republican fundraiser in Hernando County on Oct. 19 where she proclaimed she's "sure as hell not giving up."
"She ran that gauntlet," the governor said Thursday. "She's doing well, and we look forward to continue to have good news over the ensuing weeks and months."
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Calling the end of his wife's chemotherapy a "big milestone," the governor didn't reveal any additional details about the next steps in her recovery.
Casey DeSantis and Gov. Ron DeSantis have been married since September 2010. Before their marriage, the first lady was a former television news reporter and anchor in Jacksonville. She also worked for the PGA Tour as a producer and on-air host.
Casey DeSantis has helped launched multiple state initiatives since her husband took office in 2019.
Many of those programs have focused on uniting communities, helping single parents, addressing the stigma surrounding mental health, and encouraging kindness and empathy through mentoring and volunteerism.
The couple has three children named Madison, 4, Mason, 3, and Mamie, who is almost 2.
"We think she's responded very well," the governor said. "Still got more stuff to do, but that's a big milestone."
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women, according to the non-profit BreastCancer.org.
It's estimated that about one in eight U.S. women, about 13%, will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.
