Florida's first lady Casey DeSantis has said she feels 'really good' after completing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Casey and her husband Governor Ron DeSantis spoke out in a joint interview earlier this week with Fox News Digital, in some some of her first public remarks since completing treatment last month.
The first lady's diagnosis was made public in October, and she says that she was motivated to battle the cancer by her love for her family, including the couple's three young children.
Casey, 41, has played an active role in her husband's Republican administration, often appearing alongside the governor at official events.
Inspired by his wife's battle, Governor DeSantis has proposed increasing the state's budget for cancer research by 60 percent, bringing the total to $100 million.
Florida's First Lady Casey DeSantis has said she feels 'really good' after completing chemotherapy for breast cancer, as she spoke out in a joint interview with her husband
Casey DeSantis is seen with husband Ron and kids Madison and Mason at the Florida State Fair on Friday, after opening up about her chemo treatment
Florida's first family enjoyed a day at the state fair this week as Casey recovers from chemo
The proposed state funding would go to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Florida Health Cancer Center in Gainesville.
Casey in the interview said she hoped the funds would bolster cancer screening and early detection, which experience had taught her are imperative.
The remaining funding would boost innovation so 'we can finally find a cure for this thing,' she said.
In recent months, Casey, a former television host, has been making visits to children's hospitals and cancer centers, discussing the importance of early screening and bolstering the spirits of cancer patients undergoing chemo.
Last month, in the midst of her own cancer battle, Casey visited the Nemours Children's Health in Jacksonville and awarded a dedicated staffer the First Lady's Medal for Courage, Commitment and Service.
Casey married the now-governor in 2010 and the couple has three children: Madison, five, Mason, three, and Maime, 22 months
Casey DeSantis is seen with two of her children at the Florida State Fair in Tampa on Friday
Governor DeSantis' funding initiative needs the approval of the state legislature, which is currently considering the 2022-23 budget for Florida.
Casey DeSantis is a former news and television show host, including hosting Golf Channel programs and working as a local TV journalist in Jacksonville, Florida.
She married the now-governor in 2010 and the couple has three children: Madison, five, Mason, three, and Maime, 22 months.
In the interview this week, the first lady also spoke about the impact of the pandemic on children's mental health, one of her signature initiatives.
'With mental health, what I noticed in traveling the state and speaking with a lot of kids is that if they come forward and say that they have a mental health issue, that they feel like a victim and that there's a stigma associated with it,' Casey DeSantis told Fox News Digital.
'We're really trying to change the narrative with that,' she said, citing initiatives to pass a state curriculum on mental health as well as engage well-known athletes to speak about the issue.
Casey, 41, has played an active role in her husband's Republican administration, often appearing alongside the governor at official events
She said that virtual learning during COVID 'was a terrible, failed experiment and our poor kids suffered immensely,' which is why she's proud that Florida kept its schools open.
'The governor keeping the schools open has done so much for these kids' emotional and mental well-being,' she said.
'I really am so sad to hear that that's even part of the dialog in other states that you would be closing schools, not providing the opportunity for some of these kids.'
Governor DeSantis in the interview also chimed in to defend his handling of the pandemic, which drew furious criticism from his detractors.
'We've been able to protect the freedoms, the jobs, the businesses, the livelihoods, the education of millions and millions of people,' he said.
'And so I think when we're out and about, the enthusiasm and really the genuine sense of gratitude to live in Florida, people are more proud to live in Florida than they've ever been in my lifetime, and I was born and raised here.'
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