Richard Simmons is open about his cancer diagnosis.
On Tuesday, the 75-year-old fitness pioneer opened up about the moment he learned he had skin cancer in an emotional Facebook post.
Simmons said he first noticed “this weird lump under his right eye” that wouldn’t go away, prompting him to call his dermatologist.
“I was sitting in his chair and he was looking at it through a magnifying glass. He told me he would have to scrape it off and put it under a microscope,” the fitness guru wrote. “Now I’m getting a little nervous. He comes back 20 minutes later and says the C word. ‘You have cancer.’ ”
Richard Simmons 2013
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Richard Simmons apologizes for ‘confusion’ caused by his death message: ‘I’m not dying’
Simmons said he was told he had basal cell carcinoma and was advised to see a “cancer doctor” as soon as possible. I told him to stop calling me names, Simmons joked.
After his diagnosis, Simmons said he went to see Dr. Ralph A. Massey, and recalled meeting other skin cancer patients in the waiting room.
“I was shocked to see all the types of skin cancer they had. Some had cancer on the top of their heads… on their faces… and on their necks,” he wrote.
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Richard Simmons at the 2013 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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“The nurse said, ‘Dr. would like to see you now Richard.’ I slowly walked into this pristine room and Dr Massey came in to greet me… ‘I must excuse myself I have just finished eating lox, rolls and onions.’ It smelled like a deli. But I didn’t care, I just needed his help.”
Simmons went on to tell how the doctor explained the treatment process. The former fitness trainer said the doctor told him he would “burn my skin to remove the cancer cells”.
“There was no numbing, it just had to be done with a small instrument,” he continued. “When he started burning my skin, a tear fell down my cheek… The burning hurt my skin very much. It took about 30 minutes.”
According to Simmons, the doctor told him to come back in “an hour and a half” to find out if the procedure had removed all the cancer.
“I’m back with some sad news,” he explained. “He burned my face again. This time it was worse than before… It was deeper. This time I didn’t cry, but I clenched my teeth.”
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But on Wednesday, Simmons posted an update sharing the good news that the cancerous cells had been successfully removed.
“Well, the third time was the charm. With a smile [the doctor’s] face, he said, ‘We took out all the cancer cells.’ I hugged him.”
Simmons continued: “Before I left, he examined my arms, back, chest and legs. For a while I had a little Frankenstein under my right eye. He gave me cream to put on it, which I did religiously. Because of his good work I don’t have a scar.”
He ended the post by saying, “I know some of you reading this have had cancer or have known someone in your life who has. Promise me you’ll see your doctor and get a full checkup.”
The revelation of Simmons’ skin cancer comes days after he shared a death message on Facebook, sparking concerns about his health. On Monday, the TV personality clarified that he is not dying as he apologized for the “confusion” surrounding his latest post.
“I’m sorry that many of you were upset by my message today. Even the media contacted me. I’m not dying,” Simmons wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “It was a message about how we should embrace every day we have. Sorry for this confusion.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education