Will Reeve, the 34-year-old son of late “Superman” star Christopher Reeve, has revealed that he quietly battled testicular cancer earlier this year — and is now cancer-free.
The ABC News national correspondent opened up about his diagnosis after months of treatment, explaining that he decided to share the deeply personal experience in hopes that it might help someone else.
Reeve said the example set by his famous parents played a major role in his decision to speak publicly.
“I was raised to share one’s struggles if, in doing so, that might help others,” he said.
He added that watching Christopher and Dana Reeve turn their own hardships into something meaningful had a lasting impact on the way he approaches difficult moments in his own life.
Reeve’s cancer battle began in April, when he noticed a tender lump on his left testicle while taking a shower.
His wife, Amanda Dubin, encouraged him to get it checked, leading doctors to perform an ultrasound and additional testing.
The diagnosis was embryonal carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer.
Reeve underwent surgery in May to remove the affected testicle. The following month, he underwent another major procedure to remove abdominal lymph nodes after doctors became concerned about the cancer spreading.
Several of those lymph nodes tested positive.
Reeve then completed two rounds of chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the same institution where his mother had once received cancer treatment.
Treatment came with difficult side effects, including night sweats, bone pain and ringing in his ears, but Reeve ultimately received the news he had been hoping for.
On Sept. 8, follow-up scans showed no evidence of cancer.
He has since described himself as cancer-free, although he will continue undergoing regular monitoring.
The experience carried an especially emotional weight because of the medical struggles that shaped Reeve’s childhood.
His father, Christopher Reeve, became paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in 1995.
The actor, best known for playing Superman in the blockbuster film franchise, later became one of the country’s most visible advocates for spinal cord injury research.
Christopher and his wife, Dana, helped build what became the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which continues supporting research and people living with paralysis.
Christopher Reeve died in 2004 at age 52.
Dana Reeve died less than two years later from lung cancer at just 44.
Will was still a teenager when he lost both parents.
Now facing a serious illness of his own as an adult, Reeve said their approach to adversity remained with him throughout his treatment.
His wife was also by his side during the ordeal. The couple married in January, only a few months before Reeve discovered the lump that led to his diagnosis.
Because cancer treatment can affect fertility, Reeve also banked sperm before undergoing chemotherapy as the newlyweds look toward potentially starting a family in the future.
Reeve said the experience has left him with an even greater appreciation for the people closest to him and for the importance of paying attention when something does not feel right.
His story also carries an important message for other young men.
Testicular cancer is uncommon overall, but it disproportionately affects younger and middle-aged men. A lump, swelling, heaviness or other unusual change in a testicle can be a warning sign and should be evaluated by a doctor.