NBA legend Dwyane Wade has revealed he had a cancerous tumor removed from his kidney in the latest episode of his podcast on Thursday.
Wade explained that 13 months ago, he had 40% of his right kidney removed. Many of his fans are shocked and concerned about his wellbeing following the revelation.
Wave revealed his health struggles exclusively with PEOPLE and delved deeper into the “shocking” diagnosis, which came years after he decided to stop seeing a doctor.
His father, Dwyane Wade Sr. had his own journey with prostate cancer, and the NBA Hall of Famer says it led him to take action and see a doctor.
He revealed that he had been struggling with stomach issues, cramps and urinating normally.
“On the process of checking, like, ‘Why is my piss coming out slow, why is my stream ain’t powerful? Why is it a little weak?’ ” Wade recalls on his podcast to co-host Bob Metelus.
Wade stated that after a full-body scan was done, it was revealed he had a “cyst or tumor” on one of his kidneys.
“And the doctor was like, ‘You need to have kidney surgery,’ ” he said.
The NBA legend added that several other doctors agreed with the diagnosis, and it led him to make the decision to undergo surgery in December 2023.
After almost half of his left kidney was removed, doctors were then able to determine that the tumor was cancerous.
Wade says the tough experience played a big part in understanding the true meaning of family.
“My own journey to have that surgery, I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” Wade shares. “That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life”
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“The moment I was by myself, I was struggling, dog”, he added.
Dwayne Wade also revealed in the video that despite the severity of the situation, he knows his decision to undergo surgery was the right one. “I had a personal decision to make, and what it was was, ‘If this is cancerous, if this tumor, this cyst is cancerous, on your kidney, you’re 41 years old, you probably need surgery because it’s something that needs to be removed so it doesn’t spread,’ ” he said.
The 43-year-old further stated that showing his vulnerability was another big lesson he learned in the process.
“As a man, you never want your family to see you weak,” he stated. “Don’t want to be perceived weak, don’t want to be seen in your weakest moments but I had to.”
“What I saw in the midst of me going through my illness, I saw my family that may not always talk, may not always agree. I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process, in my weakness I found strength in my family.”