One day after sharing an alarming post on social media claiming he was “dying,” Richard Simmons, 75, has revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer.
The fitness guru detailed his experience with the disease in a lengthy Facebook post.
“There was this strange looking bump under my right eye. I had a tube of neosporin which I would put on I [sic] the morning and the evening….it was still there,” he wrote.
Simmons decided it was finally time to call his dermatologist.
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope. Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word.”
The Sweatin’ to the Oldies host then made an appointment with Dr. Ralph Massey, a skin cancer specialist.
“He explained that he has to burn my skin to remove the cancer cells,” he wrote. “There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument. As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek. You can’t cry during this and he wiped my tear. The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes.”
Simmons was told to return to the office in an hour and a half to make sure the cancer was gone, but when he returned he received “sad news.”
The cancer was still there.
“This time was worse than before…It was deeper. I did not cry this time but I did grit my teeth.”
Like his previous message, Simmons kept this post cryptic as well, writing “to be continued” at the end.
It’s unclear if he is still receiving treatments or if the cancer is completely gone.
Richard, you’re in our prayers and we want nothing but the best for you! Please share if you’re a fan of Richard Simmons.
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