This week, legendary former NBA star Dwyane Wade disclosed that he received a kidney carcinoma diagnosis in 2023.
On December 18, 2023, the 43-year-old Hall of Fame guard stated he decided to have surgery, and that physicians had to remove 40% of a kidney.
On his podcast, The Why with Dwyane Wade, he remarked, “Thank God I did the surgery because the tumor was cancerous.”Consequently, I have one kidney and a 60% kidney. To ensure they could remove all of the cancer from my kidney, they removed 40% of it. If the cancer remains on your kidney, it spreads, so they had to remove more and more.
Wade claimed that after his father fought prostate cancer, he made the decision to ask for a full-body physical even though he had not had one in years.
He said that a scan during the physical showed a kidney tumor, and he had also been experiencing cramps and problems with his urine. Wade claimed that before the procedure, he had a conversation with Alonzo Mourning, another Miami Heat legend. During his playing career, Mourning underwent a kidney transplant in 2003.
I believe that my dad, my kids, and my family saw me weak for the first time throughout my own journey to get that surgery, he said. I think that was the weakest point of my life at the time. I didn’t enjoy the times when I was alone myself. I was having trouble. As a male, you never want to demonstrate weakness in front of your family. It’s difficult. I had to do it even though I didn’t want to be considered as weak or as having periods of weakness. My family jumped in, which was fortunate for me.
He remarked, “I witnessed everyone come through for me and support me during that period of my weakness.” My group, my friends, and my family gave me strength.
The 13-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion claimed that his health scare had given him a fresh perspective on life.
Before going under anesthesia, I made a promise to myself at that point: “If I come out of this, if the Lord brings me out of this, I’m going to do things differently.” After I got over that, I started doing things in a different way. I’ve been going after life. I’m not going to wait.