Fitness icon Richard Simmons recently made a candid revelation on his Facebook page, sharing his journey with a skin cancer diagnosis.
Richard Simmons Skin Cancer Journey
Simmons shared the backstory, starting with the discovery of a small bump under his right eye. Despite trying out some over-the-counter remedies, the stubborn spot persisted, making Simmons seek professional medical advice.
“Mirror mirror on the wall what’s that blemish which is so small? There was this strange looking bump under my right eye. I had a tube of neosporin which I would put on [in] the morning and the evening….it was still there. It was time to call my dermatologist.”
After consulting with his dermatologist, Simmons received the upsetting news that the bump was cancerous, specifically identified as Basal Cell Carcinoma.
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope. Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. You have cancer. I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed.”
Following medical advice, Simmons received treatment from Dr. Ralph A. Massey, a specialist in cancer care. The procedure involved removing the cancerous cells, which Simmons described as the doctor “burning” off the skin.
“He explained that he has to burn my skin to remove the cancer cells. There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument. As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek.”
Simmons was instructed to return in “an hour and a half” to evaluate the effectiveness of the cancer removal. Upon his return, he received the unfortunate news that the procedure had not fully removed the cancerous cells. In result, he underwent another round of treatment, which proved to be more intense and painful than the initial procedure.
Fans Worry About Simmons
Simmons’ post about his skin cancer diagnosis followed a concerning message he shared just a day earlier, leaving fans worried about his well-being. In his previous post, he raised alarm by stating, “I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death…”
However, Simmons later reassured his concerned followers with another post confirming that he is okay.
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion.”