John Cena opens up about his shocking cancer diagnosis: What he wishes he knew earlier
WWE legend John Cena opens up about his skin cancer diagnosis, revealing how the shocking news prompted him to make sunscreen a part of his daily routine.
WWE icon John Cena recently explained how his skin cancer diagnosis impacted his daily self-care habits. After finding two spots on his skin that were cancerous, he has made the commitment to wear sunscreen regularly, bragging that wearing sunscreen shows "gratitude" for health.
Cena's experience has opened his eyes to the larger issue regarding skin health, as women are more likely than men to use sunscreen. As a result, he wants to shift men's mindset, and encourage them to commit to taking proactive self-care measures.
John Cena speaks up about his cancer diagnosis
The WWE icon never thought it could happen to him, but then he got the call, twice. The sports on his skin were cancer.
The first spot appeared on his left pectoral muscle during a routine visit to a dermatologist. It was taken off and tested. A year later, another spot appeared on his left upper trapezius muscle.
"I got the call twice, 'You need to come back because the biopsy came back cancerous,'" recalls Cena. "That news is sobering, and it made me rethink my life right away."
The 17-time WWE world champion and now the face of Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen, SPF 70 campaign, admits that he never wore an SPF. However, after finding out about the cancer, he quickly changed his tune and began wearing sunscreen every day as a means to show "gratitude" for his health.
"Skincare is more commonly accepted and discussed among women," he says, noting that conversations about self-care for men can often be more challenging. "Men are becoming more aware of self-care... I just think we need to make it more normal."
WWE star and actor speaks about men's self-care and how to prevent cancer. Photo: EFE
John Cena's advice for Men
Cena is unconcerned about whether people use SPF for beauty or health reasons; he just wants then to use it.
"If someone is using SPF because they don't want wrinkles, it's just like someone going to the gym to get ripped," he explains. "It should not matter if you are using it for health or beauty, just like going to the gym should not matter if you are doing it for health or as a beauty endeavor. SPF is along the same lines. The SPF benefits are not just skin deep."
The actor points out that while people need to be "proactive enough" to make any change, wearing SPF is "super easy" and we all just need to be aware of doing it.
"I've done some really hard sh*t, in terms of health and strength, like difficult nutrition and training modalities," he says. "But wearing SPF is just like brushing your teeth."
His vision of the future is that men will store sunscreen next to their toothpaste and use it every day. "My life perspective has changed, but it took some sobering news to get there," Cena laments. "I don't want anyone getting to that point, so I am using my platform to spread the news ahead of time."
