First Lady Pool Reports of May 22, 2022

FLOTUS travel pool 1 - National Children's Hospital visit

Dr. Biden arrived at the National Children's Hospital at 1:17 pm local time (-2 local time).

She is visiting the same hospital President John F. Kennedy visited during his 1963 visit to Costa Rica.

She is here to celebrate an MOU being signed between Costa Rica's public health authority and the University of Pennsylvania, and an MOU between Costa Rica's public health authority and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which will help Costa Rican children access a lifesaving cancer treatment (see background below).

She was joined by Costa Rican First Lady Signe Zeicate and US Ambassador to Costa Rica Cynthia Telles, whose father was US Ambassador to Costa Rica during JFK's visit.

"It's important to note that the first lady's visit to Costa Rica was the catalyst for finalizing the agreement," said Ambassador Telles, who noted her mother helped raised money for the hospital when her dad was ambassador.

Telles noted both Bidens were "committed to finding a cure for cancer even before the launch of the Cancer Moonshot in 2016."

Telles also said she volunteered at the hospital as a teenager when her dad was ambassador.

Here are quotes from Dr. Biden. As always please check against transcript.

Dr. Biden: "I'm so glad docs are here from Philly. At least it's an accent I can finally understand."

"This visit has already touched my heart," she said.

Biden talked about the pain cancer brings to families: "For and for me it had stolen our joy. … But through that pain we found purpose."

She said the Cancer Moonshot worked on bringing all parties together: "We were focused on bringing everyone together."

"We had the ambitious goal of decreasing the cancer death rate by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years."

"No country can defeat cancer alone. It takes all of us working tougher.

"President Kennedy once said children are our most valuable resource …. And he was right. We have an obligation to care for our children."

Dr. Biden is wearing a white dress with a purple and yellow flower pattern and a face mask.

She, the First Lady of Costa Rica and other officials gathered behind the table as the MOUs were signed.

Then she unveiled a mural being donated to the hospital by the government of the United States to symbolize the relationship between the two countries, Ambassador Telles said at the unveiling.

"There are many references to that relationship across it," Telles said.

"Oh my goodness," Biden said when she saw it. "It's so nice."

Pooler will tweet a photo of the mural. It's very colorful and shows people sharing food and drink along with animals - like toucans and sloths - that are native of Costa Rica.

Background from the East Wing:

On the mural: Today, Ambassador Telles gifted to the hospital a painting with a plaque that reads: In commemoration of the visit of the First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden and in recognition of the contributions of U.S. Ambassador Raymond Telles and Delfina Telles to the Hospital Nacional de de Niños. May 22, 2022

On FLOTUS events today: Today, the First Lady will visit the National Children's Hospital of Costa Rica, which has longstanding ties with the United States. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Costa Rica, and he wrote a personal check to purchase equipment for the hospital. (The visit occurred during the tenure of former U.S. Ambassador Raymond Telles, the father of current U.S. Ambassador Cynthia Telles.)

Dr. Biden will give remarks at an event celebrating the recent finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Costa Rica's public health authority and the University of Pennsylvania, and an MOU between Costa Rica's public health authority and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which combined will help Costa Rican children access a lifesaving cancer treatment under a research partnership. Dr. Biden's visit will highlight U.S.-Costa Rican collaboration on combatting cancer. The First Lady's visit is an opportunity to join Costa Rican authorities and representatives of these American institutions as they make the public announcement of their partnership. Attendees will include leadership and staff from the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), the National Children's Hospital of Costa Rica, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Greeters and Participants:

• Signe Zeicate, First Lady of Costa Rica
• Dr. Mary Munive, Vice President of Costa Rica
• Dr. Olga Arguedas, Director of the National Children's Hospital of Costa Rica
• Ambassador Cynthia Telles, U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica
• Dr. Alvaro Ramos, Executive President of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS)
• Ambassador Roman Macaya, former Executive Director of the CCSS and former Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States
• Dr. Stephan Grupp, Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Dr. Carl June, Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Penn Medicine

After, the First Lady will head to the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador in San Jose, where she will meet and greet with embassy staff and their families and show her appreciation for their service.

Note: Pool traveled separately to the hospital from FLOTUS in order to preset.

FLOTUS departed the hospital at 1:53 pm. She hugged Costa Rican First Lady Signe Zeicate goodbye.

Pool is headed back to the RON. FLOTUS is going to meet with embassy staff and their families, which is closed press.

That's all for today. More tomorrow.