Will Reeve has revealed he was diagnosed with testicular cancer which spread to the lymph nodes and abdomen.
Talking to People, the ABC correspondent shared the difficult news in the hopes it might help others seek medical attention early on.
Will told the outlet: “I was raised to share one’s struggles if, in doing so, that might help others.”
Will’s difficult childhood
Will was only two when his dad, Christopher Reeve, was left paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from a horse.
He grew up watching his dad, and his mom, Dana, fight for spinal-cord-injury awareness.
© Getty ImagesThe Superman actor passed away in 2004 at the age of 52, and his mom died from lung cancer at 44 when Will was 13.
‘This was a heck of a chapter’
© InstagramWill said he has been cancer-free since September 8, but wants to share his story.
“Watching my parents up close take the adversity they faced in their lives and repurpose it into something hopeful left a major impact on my life and how I try to live it,” he said.
“I have felt so loved and supported and rooted for by family, friends and strangers alike for my entire life. And that’s a big part of why I wanted to speak about this. I’m going to be fine. But this was a heck of a chapter.”
How did Will discover his cancer?
© ABCWill documented his cancer journey and explained how he discovered a lump on one of his testicles while in the shower.
His wife, Amanda, urged him to go to the doctor, even though Will was convinced it was “nothing.”
In May, Will underwent surgery to remove the cancerous testicle.
“I hadn’t had surgery since I got my tonsils out at five,” he told People. “I was more nervous about the unknown of the surgery rather than the overwhelming realization that I would be losing an essential part of my body forever.”
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of his cancer journey as they discovered 95% of the cancer found was embryonal carcinoma, which is an aggressive form of the disease.
Will underwent six hours of surgery and two rounds of chemotherapy.
He was treated at the same hospital as his mom.
© Getty Images“The irony is not lost on me that 20 years after my mom died of lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, there I was in the same building getting treated for cancer,” he recalled. “I was experiencing life as each of my parents at the same time. Because I was a cancer patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I was getting a firsthand experience at what my mother went through.
“Simultaneously, I was learning more about what it was like to be my dad in the final nine years of his life, where he had my mom and our family taking care of him. And there I was with my wife, who, since the day I met her, has reminded me in so many ways of my mom, now playing the role of wife and caregiver.”
© Getty ImagesWill thanked his GMA co-stars for their support: “My colleagues at ABC are like family to me and have been with me every step of the way. I’m fortunate that I caught this early. Yes, I had to jump through some flaming hoops to get to the other side, but it could have been much worse had I ignored it or delayed going to the doctor.
“The experience has taught me to pay attention to my body.”
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