“I have some bad news: I start chemo today. One in 750 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and I’m one of them,” the 59-year-old former pro wrestler explained in a June 9 Instagram post.
“Yep. I have breast cancer. And yep, it’s super rare. Only 1% of breast cancers are men,” the actor, who also played Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s Halloween films, wrote alongside the post. “I’ll be honest, my first reaction was to keep it secret. I mean, it’s kind of embarrassing. But then I found out that men are more likely to be diagnosed in advanced stages BECAUSE it’s not talked about and not looked for. In fact, my doctors all dismissed it, and it was only because my wife pushed me to get the lump removed that I got in early.”
The X-Men actor encouraged men to be more open about the rare cancer.
“1 in 755 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and if caught early, it’s VERY treatable,” Mane added.
Of course, fans and collegues took to the comments to rally behind Mane.
“You’ve got this, ‘Sabretooth,’” one fan wrote. “Stay strong and kick cancers ass,” another fan added.
“No doubt you’ll drag this cancer outside and kick the s— out of it,” horror film director Adam Green wrote. “In fact, you should have them check for it again because it has probably already run away, it’s so scared of YOU,” the Victor Crowley director added.
“Kick Cancer’s ass, my friend! Lots of love to you. F— cancer,” Terrifier franchise star David Howard Thornton wrote.
Meanwhile, Mane quickly returned to Instagram to thank his fans for their support.
“I greatly appreciate it. I got this. I’m gonna kick cancer‘s ass,” Mane promised. “Thank you for coming along for the journey. We need to spread the awareness. Cancer sucks, but if you catch it quick enough, you can win this battle.”