Michelle Obama visits London cancer center

Michelle Obama wished a cancer care center a happy first birthday on Wednesday during her first full day in London before the G20 summit.

The U.S. first lady, who visited the center with Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, blew out a single candle on a chocolate-frosted sponge cake, and then joined others for tea.

"This is pretty amazing," Mrs. Obama said of the Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre, which Mrs. Brown opened last year.

"It's an oasis, an oasis that's necessary for people who are struggling. The building actualizes their journey in so many ways," he said.

Chatting with survivors
One of those who chatted with Mrs. Obama was Namina Turay, 32, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago but has been in remission for a year.

"Congratulations on being done," Mrs. Obama told Turay.

Turay told reporters afterward it had been a privilege to meet the U.S. president's wife. "She's so natural and really easy to talk to," Turay said.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Mrs. Obama wore a green pencil skirt and a sparkly cream cardigan by J. Crew for the visit, while Mrs. Brown wore a Britt Lintner navy blue dress.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Shouts of "Obama! Obama!" from a group outside the center greeted the first lady as her visit ended, and she departed after giving a hug to the center's chief executive, Laura Lee.

There are also five Maggie's centers in Scotland, founded by Charles Jencks and his wife Maggie, who died of cancer. In its first year, the London center recorded 12,000 patient visits.

The project aspires to provide a care center at every National Health Service hospital in the United Kingdom.