Travel Guru Rick Steves Says Prostate Surgery 'Incontinence' Helped Him Empathize With Women (Exclusive)

Rick Steves says prostate surgery gave him an unexpected insight.

Steves, author of more than 100 travel guides and host of the long-running PBS series Rick Steves’ Europe he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August and says he is “on the road to recovery and it feels wonderful.” But, he says, one unpleasant side effect of the surgery also gave him a surprising understanding.

Why travel guru Rick Steves says his prostate cancer was an ‘exciting’ trip (Exclusive)

Steves has been back to work giving speeches and doing research since the surgery on Oct. 4 and says he’s feeling great, aside from bladder control difficulties, common side effects of the procedure. “It’s all about incontinence,” he says. – I didn’t even know what that word was, but now it’s a big part of my life.

But, he adds, the need to urinate more often helped him bond better with the women in his life.

“Women say, ‘Well, now you understand!’ I think it’s so funny, so I don’t complain about incontinence,” he says. “I think it’s a way to gain some empathy.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 6% and 8% of people who have had surgery to remove the prostate will develop some type of urinary incontinence, but it’s usually temporary. One of the ways to improve the condition is to perform kegel exercises that help strengthen the pelvic floor.

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Steves, who has been sharing travel tips for nearly 40 years, including on his PBS show, which premiered in 2000, and on his radio show Travel with Rick Steveswhich airs on about 500 stations, says dealing with cancer and recovering from surgery has given him perspective on his busy life, which takes him on the road for more than 100 days each year. “Relaxing is not my forte,” he says. “I love my job. But this experience is a reminder of our mortality and how quickly the years pass.”

Rick Steves at the Parthenon in Greece in 2021.

Courtesy of Rick Steves

Tour guide Rick Steves reveals prostate cancer diagnosis: ‘I have a lot to be thankful for’

In some ways, he says, dealing with cancer was “like divine intervention. It’s like, ‘Stop thinking what you’re doing is so important.’ The world’s cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people. You can trick yourself into thinking you’re really important, and it’s nice to remember that there are other things that deserve a little more attention.”

One of the things he values ​​most is his relationship with longtime girlfriend Shelley Bryan Wee, a Lutheran bishop, with whom he has been dating since 2019. “She is a loving person, a person of great faith, and an inspiration in so many ways,” he says. “And she was there.”

Rick Steves and Shelley Bryan Wee in the Swiss Alps in 2022.

Courtesy of Rick Steves

Steves is currently awaiting lab results from tests on his prostate to see if it’s cancer-free, but says he’s hopeful for good results. “I have no doubt I’ll be in Europe next year researching guides and filming TV shows unless there’s some terrible news from the lab,” he says. “But this is something that people recover from.”

And as he recovers, Steves has a characteristically optimistic attitude about his future: “My mindset now is be patient, be positive, be grateful, take it one day at a time…and do your Kegels!” he says.

For more on Rick Steves, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE magazine, on newsstands nationwide.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education