Florida first lady Casey DeSantis celebrated being cancer free in a new political ad thanking her husband, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), for being there for her.
The 60-second spot featured the state’s first lady discussing her recent battle with breast cancer and highlighting her husband’s response.
“If you want to know who Ron DeSantis really is, when I was diagnosed with cancer, and I was facing the battle for my life, he was the dad who took care of my children when I couldn’t,” Casey DeSantis said.
“He was there to pick me off of the ground when I literally could not stand,” she added. “He was there to fight for me when I didn’t have the strength to fight for myself.”
I love you, Casey. pic.twitter.com/HKID5TolyM
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) October 10, 2022
The video concluded by answering the question, “Who is Ron DeSantis?”
“I get asked all the time, who is Ron De Santis?” the Florida first lady asked. “He’s the kid who grew up right here in Florida working his tail off paying his own way through school and volunteering to serve in the Navy and deploying to Iraq. He’s the man who I fell in love with from the moment we met. And he’s the dad of three very rambunctious, energetic children: Mamie, our two-year-old little comedian, Madison, our beautiful sweet five-year-old, and Mason, our four-year-old athlete.”
DeSantis first announced that the state’s first lady was diagnosed with breast cancer on October 4, 2021. She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.
Casey DeSantis traveled across Florida to visit cancer patients, promote the importance of early screening, and provide support to families affected by cancer, with a specific emphasis on pediatric cancer patients. In August, she launched Florida Cancer Connect.
During her own battle with cancer, she realized the need for additional resources for patients and caretakers to access information on cancer care, detection, prevention, and treatment. The Florida Cancer Connect website provides those battling cancer with tools and information to bring greater awareness to cancer.
The Florida Legislature recently renamed the Florida Consortium of National Institute Centers Program the “Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program” in honor of her work in fighting cancer in the Sunshine State.
The video is also airing statewide as part of the promotion for the DeSantis campaign as he seeks his second term for governor. The conservative leader garnered national attention over his freedom-focused response to the COVID pandemic and has recently been in the spotlight over his proactive approach to Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis faces Democrat and former Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The challenger resigned from the House after the state’s primary to focus on his campaign against the governor.
According to the polling website Project FiveThirtyEight, DeSantis currently leads Crist by 6.7% based on an average of five major polls.
