On eldest’s 5th birthday, Ron DeSantis says Casey DeSantis still managing breast cancer

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Gov. Ron DeSantis says First Lady Casey DeSantis continues to manage her breast cancer diagnosis.

The Governor’s Office announced Casey DeSantis’ cancer diagnosis last month to an outpouring of bipartisan support. At a Daily’s gas station in Jacksonville on Monday, during a press conference announcing the Governor’s planned $1 billion in gas tax relief, Daily’s founder Aubrey Edge became the latest to publicly extend his prayers and best wishes to the First Lady.

“We really appreciate the prayers for my wife,” the Governor replied. “It’s not an easy thing to go through. She handles it about as well as I think anyone could, and so we just take it a day at a time.”

Casey, 41, is an Emmy Award winning TV host. The DeSantises married in 2010 and have three children, Madison, Mason and Mamie.

After DeSantis’ election in 2018, the First Family became the first since the 1970s to have young children when they moved into the Governor’s Mansion the following January. Mamie DeSantis was the first baby born in the Governor’s Mansion in decades.

“We’ve got a lot of kids we’ve got to raise, and so it’s tough,” DeSantis said last month when he opened up more about his wife’s diagnosis.

Madison, the eldest, turned 5 Monday.

“Today actually is my daughter’s fifth birthday,” DeSantis said. “So when we’re done here, we will be going back to Tallahassee. We’ve got a lot on the agenda for her, and I know she’s very, very excited.”

Casey DeSantis, of Troy, Ohio, was a Jacksonville-area television host prior to her husband’s ascension in politics. That included working for the PGA Tour as a producer and on-air host.

Now, Casey DeSantis is an advocate for mental health awareness, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In February, she unveiled a campaign to improve mental resiliency in children that would go on to feature people including Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

She has also spearheaded initiatives like Hope for Healing, which she launched in May 2019 to address mental illness and substance abuse with an emphasis on children, veterans and first responders.

Casey DeSantis entered the national political spotlight during her husband’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign. In an ad that drew national media attention, she played up the connection between her husband and then-President Donald Trump, who had endorsed DeSantis in the Republican Primary. The Governor hasn’t shaken comparisons to the former President since.

Ron DeSantis hopes to win a second term in 2022.