Will Reeve, the son of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, has disclosed that he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of testicular cancer earlier this year.
The 34-year-old, whose mother was the late Dana Reeve, first became concerned in April after discovering a tender lump on one of his testicles while showering. His wife, 30-year-old Amanda, encouraged him to arrange an ultrasound.
Speaking to People , the Good Morning America presenter said the diagnosis left him “stunned.” He had initially assumed the lump was harmless or would disappear, but treatment soon brought painful memories of his mother’s battle with lung cancer and his father’s life after paralysis to the surface.
Will was only days from turning three when his father suffered a devastating spinal cord injury. In May 1995, at age 42, Christopher Reeve was thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.
The actor spent the remainder of his life using a wheelchair and ventilator. Will became an orphan 17 months after Christopher died of heart failure, when Dana passed away from lung cancer at age 44 in 2006.
In early May, Will underwent surgery to remove the affected testicle, a procedure known as an orchiectomy. He also arranged for sperm to be preserved, helping ensure that he and Amanda could pursue starting a family in the future.
Christopher Reeve’s son Will has revealed that he was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer earlier this year.
Will was orphaned 17 months after Superman star Christopher Reeve died of heart failure, followed by the death of his mother Dana from lung cancer at age 44 in 2006. The family is pictured in 2004.
Christopher Reeve famously played the iconic superhero in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987).
Although Will and Amanda hoped the diagnosis would prove to be only a “momentary blip,” testing showed that 95 percent of the tumor was embryonal carcinoma. The rare, fast-growing cancer most commonly affects men between the ages of 15 and 35.
On June 10, Will underwent a six-hour operation to remove several dozen lymph nodes from his abdomen. Three of those nodes were found to contain testicular cancer.
He subsequently completed two rounds of chemotherapy, beginning treatment two decades after his mother’s own fight against cancer.
“The irony is not lost on me that 20 years after my mom died of lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I was in that same building receiving cancer treatment,” Will said.
“As a cancer patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I was experiencing firsthand some of what my mother had gone through. In many ways, I was living part of each of my parents’ experiences at once.
“At the same time, I was gaining a deeper understanding of my father’s final nine years, when my mother and the rest of our family helped care for him.
“A great deal has happened in my life, but until now, none of it had happened to me in quite this way.”
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Will, 34, said he first became aware of the problem after finding a tender lump on one of his testicles in the shower in April. His wife Amanda, 30, urged him to have an ultrasound.
Christopher Reeve devoted much of his later life to raising awareness and funding for people living with paralysis. He established the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which supports spinal cord injury research and works to improve quality of life for individuals and families affected by paralysis. He is pictured with son Matthew in 2002.
Will is pictured with his siblings Matthew, 46, and Alexandra, 42, whom Christopher Reeve shared with former partner Gae Exton. Will has credited them with supporting him throughout his cancer diagnosis.
“After my dad was injured, the next nine years centered heavily on caring for him and making sure we could still build a full and happy life, while confronting the reality that he was paralyzed, used a wheelchair and could not move or breathe independently,” Will said.
‘And then he died, and I had to learn what grief was. And shortly after that, my mom, who had never smoked, gets sick with lung cancer and then dies, and I learned grief all over again at a different level.’
Will underwent chemotherapy straight from work at GMA and likened the side effects of the treatment, including bone pain, to an ‘ailment whack-a-mole.’
His second round of chemotherapy ended on July 31.
Will is now cancer-free, as of a check-up on September 8, and will have scans and bloodwork three to four times a year to check for any recurrence of the disease.
The five-year survival rate for embryonal carcinoma is over 98 per cent for early-stage disease and ranges from 74 per cent to 80 per cent for advanced, widespread disease, per The Cleveland Clinic.
As well as Amanda, Will credits the support of his family and friends, especially siblings Matthew, 46, and Alexandra, 42, for getting him through.
After the loss of his parents, Will was raised by the family’s next door neighbors and close friends.
The Good Morning America presenter said his treatment brought back painful memories of his mother’s treatment for lung cancer and his father’s health struggles after he became quadriplegic – Christopher and Dana Reeve are pictured in 1989
He had also starred in other projects during the course of his career, such as working alongside Jane Seymour in Somewhere In Time (1980)
Will, along with Matthew and Alexandra, who Christopher shared with ex-partner Gae Exton, work with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation which aims to cure spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis.
Reeve notably portrayed the iconic superhero, Superman, in the film Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987).
He had also starred in other projects during the course of his career, such as working alongside Jane Seymour in Somewhere In Time (1980).
