Will Reeve, a correspondent for ABC News, has openly shared his recent battle with testicular cancer, a diagnosis he received earlier this year. Reeve underwent surgery at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, a facility that holds deep emotional significance for him; it was the same institution where his mother, Dana Reeve, was treated for lung cancer before her death two decades ago. Reflecting on this coincidence, he remarked, “The irony is not lost on me that 20 years after my mum died of lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, there I was in the same building, getting treated for cancer.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/will-reeve-dana-reeve-092826-1-58f3083e660b439d836967dd0de6826c.jpg)
The situation began in April when Reeve, 34, noticed a tender lump while showering. Concerned, his wife, Amanda Dubin Reeve, encouraged him to seek medical advice, suggesting that while it might be harmless, it was better to be cautious. Following an ultrasound that confirmed the presence of a mass, Reeve faced the grim reality of a cancer diagnosis. He underwent an orchiectomy, a standard surgical procedure for removing the cancerous testicle. Subsequent tests revealed a worrying diagnosis of 95 per cent embryonal carcinoma, a particularly aggressive type of testicular cancer.
As part of his treatment, Reeve had to undergo another extensive six-hour surgery to remove a significant number of lymph nodes from his abdomen at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Unfortunately, three of these lymph nodes tested positive for cancer, leading him to require two rounds of chemotherapy. Despite the weight of his circumstances, his latest check-up showed he is now cancer-free as of September 8th.
The experience has profoundly connected Reeve with his parents in unexpected ways. He expressed, “I was experiencing life as each of my parents at the same time,” as he navigated the challenges of being a cancer patient. The care he received brought back memories of his mother’s battle with cancer, and he noted how her former oncologist would stop by daily to check on him. This attention was a poignant reminder of the lasting impact his mother had on those around her.
Reeve also reflected on his father, Christopher Reeve, who became a quadriplegic after a horse-riding accident and passed away in 2004. He shared that being a patient in a similar setting allowed him to understand the struggles faced by his father during the final years of his life. This dual perspective allowed Reeve to appreciate the unwavering support that caregivers provide, drawing parallels to his own experience with his wife.
The values of resilience and perseverance were instilled in Reeve from a young age as he watched his parents advocate for awareness surrounding spinal cord injuries and establish The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “Watching my parents up close and realising they had a platform to take the adversity they faced and repurpose it into something hopeful left a major impact on my life,” he stated, underscoring the importance of using one’s experiences to guide and inspire others.
Reeve is keen to share his journey to encourage others to be vigilant about their health. He attributes his early diagnosis and successful treatment to his wife’s insistence on getting an ultrasound. “I give all the credit to Amanda for urging me to get the ultrasound,” he said, highlighting the need for awareness among men, particularly as about 10,000 are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year in the United States.
As he reflects on his recovery, Reeve has chosen to focus on positivity and gratitude. “With each step since my diagnosis and treatment, I kept saying, I’m just going to try and win each day,” he noted, acknowledging the unwavering support from his wife, family, friends, and colleagues throughout his ordeal.
Looking forward, Reeve plans to continue monitoring his health with regular scans and bloodwork as a precaution against recurrence. He concluded his update by sharing his personal journey, stating, “We started the year off with the happiest update – that I got married. And then we took a bit of a nosedive into scary uncharted territory, but now we’re back up flying again, and life is great.”