John Cena's Skin Cancer Diagnosis
John Cena. Source: Shutterstock
American actor and professional wrestler John Cena recently shared in an interview with People magazine that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer twice. This revelation was in light of his participation in a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of sunscreen and skincare.
The 48-year-old shared that he “fell in love with the Sun” when he moved to Florida in his twenties. However, he had not been actively taking care of his skin at that time. He admitted that “I was stubborn. I didn't want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me. And it's one of those things where I had a ton of exposure with minimal protection and it caught up with me.”
How was John Cena diagnosed?
His neglect of sunscreen and skincare ultimately led to his skin cancer diagnosis during a routine dermatological check-up. The first cancerous spot was discovered on his right chest. Despite having it removed promptly, Cena received a follow-up call from his dermatologist saying that “You got to come back in.” A second cancerous spot close to his right shoulder was found a year later and removed as well.
John Cena's reaction to his diagnosis
“Man, that phone call’s not what you want to get because it is unpredictable and you don’t know how bad it’s going to be,” Cena shared. Although he manages his stress relatively well through reading uplifting quotes on social media, he admitted that when faced “with some uncomfortable stuff”, his mind “always goes to the worst case scenario.”
This diagnosis caused him to reflect on his neglect of sunscreen and became a huge turning point in his life. He remarked that his cancer diagnosis “is sobering and it right there prompted me to change my life.” Cena is now an advocate for suncare and skincare and has become a “go-to person for a skincare campaign”, which he had never pictured himself to be.
How is John Cena doing now?
Fortunately, Cena is healthy and fine now. He shared, “I'm at a great space in my life where that's (skincare) now important to me. And I'm so grateful to be able to dodge those two bullets, but I wear them as a reminder of, ‘Hey man, you need to take the extra few seconds to protect yourself every day.’”
He also credited his recovery to his dermatologist who supported him throughout his cancer journey. “I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn't alone,” Cena reflected.
John Cena's advocacy for skincare
Today, Cena is the face of Neutrogena’s ‘Sunscreen You Can’t See’ campaign as he continues spreading awareness of the importance of sunscreen and skincare. He shared, “If you're out there and you brush your teeth, at a young age you learned that going to the dentist when your teeth are in bad shape is bad because it's painful. The same thing will happen if you don't take care of your skin and it's actually easier than brushing your teeth. Because it's not something you should exercise to just make you look more beautiful. It's something you should exercise to allow you to be who you are for a longer period of time.”
He added that “Skincare is a more palatable and accepted term and subject matter amongst women. Men, especially, are becoming more conscious of self-care… I just think we need to make it more commonplace.”
What began as a sobering personal health scare for Cena has now become a powerful call to action. He is urging everyone to adopt sunscreen as a life-saving habit, to protect themselves from a highly preventable threat.