Dwayne Wade’s Cancer Diagnosis Should be a Wake-up Call for Men
Earlier this year, former NBA pro Dwayne Wade underwent surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from his kidneys.
The pro basketballer, 41, lived a healthy and active lifestyle. But after experiencing some mild, yet concerning, symptoms including stomach cramps and a slow flow of urine, he decided to go get it checked out.
Wade told Today that he went in for the checkup after his father’s diagnosis of prostate cancer. Even though the symptoms were mild, he “Didn’t think nothing of it.”
A study from the Cleveland Clinic found that men would rather do almost anything than go to the doctor. Many men said they didn’t want to go to the doctor or lied to their doctor because they were embarrassed, didn’t want to have to change their diet, or weren’t ready to face a diagnosis even if they knew something was wrong.
While Wade thought he was going in to address a stomach problem, processing and expelling urine is a key function of the kidneys. After an MRI scan came back showing potential cancerous cells in the kidney, his doctor recommended removing the lesion.
In 2025, over 80,980 Americans will be diagnosed with kidney cancer. Over 14,000 are expected to die from it.
Now that the cells have been removed, he’s healthy and doing well. He told Today that this experience inspired him to live more in the moment and to encourage other men to go to the doctor if they notice changes in their bodies.
82 percent of men try to stay healthy to live longer for friends and family who rely on them, yet only 50 percent engage in preventative care, according to the Cleveland Clinic study.
In the interview with Today he said, “I think being able to speak about it in an environment with other men that I know, a lot of us are not going to check ourselves out if we don’t feel nothing. If nothing is happening, we’re like, ‘We’re good.’ And I want us to get over that. I want us to grow from that.”
