Will Reeve, the TV presenter and son of Superman legend Christopher Reeve, has opened up about his shock cancer diagnosis, saying he was inspired by his parents’ example to share his story in hopes of helping others. The 34-year-old has revealed that earlier this year, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which then spread to the lymph nodes in his abdomen.
Inspired by parents' example
"I was raised to share one’s struggles if, in doing so, that might help others. 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 reflected, speaking about his famous father and mother, Dana, who both died while he was a child.
He explained he had first noticed a lump in April this year, but thought it was nothing. It was his wife of three months at the time, event planner Amanda Dubin Reeve, who encouraged him to have it checked out.
Stunned by diagnosis
Speaking to People magazine, he confessed he was "stunned" to learn how serious it was. Tests revealed that 95% of the testicular cancer found was embryonal carcinoma, which is an aggressive form of the disease.
He had to undergo a six-hour surgery on June 10 to remove dozens of lymph nodes in his abdomen. "I hadn’t had surgery since I got my tonsils out at five. So I was more nervous about the unknown of the surgery rather than the overwhelming realisation that I would be losing an essential part of my body forever," he said.
All-clear and family legacy
Thankfully, he was given the all-clear earlier this month, on September 8, and says that although he is going to be fine, it was "one heck of a chapter". He is now sharing his experience in the hope it will help and give hope to others who might find themselves in a similar situation.
Will was just two years old when his father was thrown from a horse and became paralysed from the neck down, leaving him confined to a wheelchair and a ventilator for the rest of his life. Instead of wallowing in his situation, along with Will's mother Dana, he became an advocate for spinal-cord-injury awareness and research. Together, they launched The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
He grew up watching them fight for the rights of others in Christopher's situation before his father died in 2004 at age 52 when Will was 11. Two years later, his mother died from lung cancer at the age of 44.
