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Five-time U.S. gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian has cancer

Jason Owens
Staff writer
·2 min read
Nathan Adrian is optimistic about his diagnosis after announcing that he and his doctors caught his cancer early. (Getty)
Nathan Adrian is optimistic about his diagnosis after announcing that he and his doctors caught his cancer early. (Getty)

Five-time U.S. gold medalist Nathan Adrian announced on Instagram Thursday that he has testicular cancer.

The 30-year-old swimmer competed in freestyle races during the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, winning eight total medals, with a silver and two bronzes in addition to his gold tally.

Adrian has sights on 2020 games despite diagnosis

He is optimistic about his prognosis and expects to return to the water soon with his eyes on competing in the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

View this post on Instagram

Life, like swimming the 100 free, can come at you hard and fast as you can’t always see who, or what, may be chasing you down. Recently, I went to the doctor as something didn’t seem quite right. At the very least, I still needed to get my flu shot so it couldn’t hurt. After a few tests and visits with a specialist, I unfortunately learned that I have Testicular Cancer. On the bright side, we caught it early, I have already started treatment and the prognosis is good. I will be back in the water in a few short weeks with my sights fully set on Tokyo! Along the way, I hope to share my journey in an effort to help break the stigma of discussing men’s health issues. I’ve realized that too often we tend to avoid these important topics, ignore the potential warning signs, and put off getting the medical help that we may need. As I told my family, I’ll be putting my public health degree to work a little sooner than I planned! But in all seriousness, I am keeping a positive attitude as cases such as mine are curable. I am extremely grateful for my family and friends, especially my wife, for their love and support. I am scheduled for surgery early next week and will provide an update soon. #menshealth #testicularcancer #standuptocancer

A post shared by Nathan Adrian (@nathangadrian) on Jan 24, 2019 at 12:20pm PST

He learned of his diagnosis on a visit to the doctor after “something didn’t seem quite right” and wrote that he and his doctors caught the cancer early.

“I will be back in the water in a few short weeks with my sights fully set on Tokyo!” Adrian wrote alongside an image of himself smiling in a hospital with his wife Hallie Ivester by his side.

Adrian promoting early detection for men

He also noted that he has a public health degree and is using his battle as a chance to raise awareness for men’s health issues, and to advocate for addressing symptoms early like he did.

“I’ve realized that too often we tend to avoid these important topics, ignore the potential warning signs and put off getting the medical help that we may need,” Adrian wrote. “As I told my family, I’ll be putting my public health degree to work a little sooner than I planned!”

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