White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has described the exhausting reality of battling breast cancer while serving in one of Washington’s most demanding positions, saying that on some days, simply getting dressed and making it to work required every ounce of strength she had.
In an op-ed published Sunday by USA Today, Wiles recounted undergoing chemotherapy while continuing to oversee President Donald Trump’s White House staff.
Cancer was never far from her mind, she wrote. It was there when she woke up and, at times, followed her into sleep.
“Fighting cancer is brutal and unrelenting,” Wiles wrote. Concerns about treatment, test results and the uncertainty ahead could consume even a resilient person. At times, she said, those fears consumed her.
Some days, Wiles explained, all her energy went toward confronting the illness. On others, the challenge was getting out of bed, putting on clothes and reporting for work. “Most days, I carried the full weight of both,” she wrote.
Still, her work offered a sense of purpose that extended beyond medical appointments, scans and the side effects of treatment.
“Cancer can make your world very small,” Wiles wrote. She tried to remain focused on the people relying on her, even while recognizing that some might doubt whether she could continue leading effectively.
Treatment affected her stamina, mobility and, at times, her ability to concentrate. Wiles said she was not always able to be everywhere she wanted. Colleagues within and beyond the White House helped fill the gaps, while her two daughters, extended family, friends and medical team supported her throughout the illness.
Wiles stressed that continuing to work during cancer treatment is neither possible nor appropriate for everyone. In her case, however, the job helped preserve her identity beyond the disease, she wrote.
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Following successful surgery, pathology results showed no residual cancer, according to Wiles. She said her next challenge is rebuilding the strength and abilities that treatment took from her.
“Chemotherapy is, in a word, a b—-,” she wrote.
In a Sunday post on X, Wiles said she seldom shares personal details but wanted to explain what it meant to fight cancer while continuing in a job she loves.
“Cancer tried to make my world smaller. I was determined not to let it,” she wrote, adding that she hoped her story would give strength to someone still battling the disease.
Wiles announced on Sept. 16 that she was cancer-free after receiving clear pathology results from an appointment at the Mayo Clinic. She first revealed her early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in March.
Trump praised Wiles during her treatment, saying in a prerecorded tribute in May that she was winning her fight against cancer. Wiles expressed gratitude for his kindness and compassion, while also crediting her family, friends, colleagues and doctors for helping her endure the ordeal.
Wiles also shared a message of encouragement for people undergoing cancer treatment.
“Cancer does not have to take away who you are,” she wrote. For her, life beyond the illness means continuing to serve Trump and the country, while remaining a mother, grandmother and friend.
Katie Wiles, one of her daughters, responded to the post on X. “A strong woman isn’t loud in her strength; she’s steady and unshakable,” she wrote. “You are our champion. So incredibly proud of you, Mom.”
