Yahoo News Richard Simmons details skin cancer battle after cryptic post about dying: 'Promise me you will see your doctor'
"I have lost a lot of friends to cancer," the fitness icon said.
Richard Simmons is detailing his skin cancer journey.
The fitness icon shared about his cancer scare on social media. Simmons said that he noticed a “strange looking bump” beneath his right eye and called his dermatologist, who told him it was cancer — basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of cancer. He recalled his dermatologist saying, “Now that you are here I suggest you put some Botox in your forehead lines and your smile lines and let’s pump up those cheeks of yours,” to which Simmons responded, “Not today, doctor.”
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Richard SimmonsSimmons later recalled visiting a cancer specialist to treat his condition. “As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek,” he wrote. That attempt didn’t quite fix the problem, but further procedures successfully eliminated the cancer. “He gave me some cream to put on it which I did religiously,” Simmons wrote. “Because of his fine work I don’t have a scar.”
The fitness expert acknowledged that his cancer wasn’t as extreme as many cases. “My cancer was nothing compared to some people that I knew,” he wrote. “I have lost a lot of friends to cancer.”
Simmons concluded his story with an anecdote about helping a friend. “One of my best friends shared with me that every time she ate she felt sick,” he wrote. “I made an [appointment] for her to see my doctor.” Simmons’ friend was diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent surgery immediately. “She went to the hospital for 20 days,” he recalled. “And after 8 chemo treatments they told her she was cancer free. She wanted me to know that she survived to thrive.”
“I know some of you reading this have had cancer or have known someone in your life who has had cancer,” Simmons wrote. “Promise me you will see your doctor and get a complete check up.”
Simmons’ cancer posts came just two days after he shared a message proclaiming that he was dying. “Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now,” he wrote. However, he later clarified that he’s actually doing fine. “I am not dying,” he said. “It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion."
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