White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Battling Cancer While Working

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, has shared her experiences battling breast cancer while maintaining her demanding role in Washington. In an op-ed, Wiles discussed the challenges of undergoing chemotherapy while leading the White House staff for President Donald Trump.

“Fighting cancer is brutal and unrelenting,” Wiles wrote. She described how treatment and test results consumed her thoughts, impacting her daily life and focus.

Some days, Wiles was able to pour her strength into tackling the disease. On other days, simply getting out of bed and going to work was its own challenge. Her work provided a sense of purpose beyond medical appointments and treatment side effects. “Cancer can make your world very small,” she noted.

“Most days, I carried the full weight of both,” she expressed about managing work and cancer.

Wiles highlighted how colleagues and her support system, including her two daughters, family, friends, and medical team, played a vital role during her treatment. She made clear that working while undergoing treatment isn’t a choice everyone can make, but for her, it was a way to maintain her sense of self.

After surgery, Wiles was relieved to learn she was cancer-free, though she acknowledged the recovery from treatment was challenging. “Chemotherapy is, in a word, a b—-,” she candidly stated.

On social media, Wiles explained her intention to share her cancer fight to inspire others in similar battles. “Cancer tried to make my world smaller. I was determined not to let it,” she posted, hoping her story could offer strength to others fighting the disease.

President Donald Trump expressed his support through a prerecorded message, praising Wiles’s resilience throughout her treatment. Wiles thanked him and credited her family and medical team for their support. She concluded with a message of hope: “Cancer does not have to take away who you are.”

Her daughter, Katie Wiles, responded with admiration on social media, describing her mother as “steady and unshakable.”