Christopher Reeve’s son Will Reeve recalls cancer battle at 34: ‘This was a heck of a chapter’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Christopher Reeve's son, Will Reeve, has shared his first account of his recent cancer battle at 34. Will revealed that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this year and assured viewers that he is 'OK' now.

He spoke about overcoming the struggle, saying, “I was raised to share one’s struggles if, in doing so, that might help others.” 

“Today, though, I am relieved to announce that we arrived at our destination and this cancer is in the rearview mirror. But what a journey,” he added.

Will Reeve opens up about testicular cancer diagnosis

Will's cancer diagnosis and the battle that followed gave new meaning to the lessons he learned from his parents, 'Superman' actor Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana Reeve.

“Watching my parents up close take the adversity they faced in their lives and repurpose it into something hopeful left a major impact on my life and how I try to live it,” Reeve said.

This particular lesson took on a different meaning after Will was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which later spread to the lymph nodes in his abdomen.

“I have felt so loved and supported and rooted for by family, friends and strangers alike for my entire life,” said Will. “And that’s a big part of why I wanted to speak about this. I’m going to be fine. But this was a heck of a chapter.”

He revealed that after undergoing surgery, doctors discovered that the tumor was embryonal carcinoma. He also underwent a second surgery to remove the lymph nodes in his abdomen after some cancer cells had spread.

“I hadn’t had surgery since I got my tonsils out at 5,” he added. “So I was more nervous about the unknown of the surgery rather than the overwhelming realization that I would be losing an essential part of my body forever.”

He added that he experienced several side effects from the medication, including ringing in his ears, bone pain, night sweats, blood clots and constant headaches.

“The experience has taught me to pay attention to my body,” Reeve said.

Will Reeve recalls parents' cancer battles

Will underwent surgery at the same hospital where his mother, Dana, died of lung cancer in 2006 at the age of 44. His father, Christopher, died in 2004 at the age of 52.

“The irony is not lost on me that 20 years after my mom died of lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, there I was in the same building getting treated for cancer,” he said.

“I was experiencing life as each of my parents at the same time. Because I was a cancer patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I was getting a firsthand experience at what my mother went through," he added.

"Simultaneously, I was learning more about what it was like to be my dad in the final nine years of his life, where he had my mom and our family taking care of him. And there I was with my wife, who, since the day I met her, has reminded me in so many ways of my mom, now playing the role of wife and caregiver," he continued.

Looking back, he said, “I’ve had a lot happen in my life. But none of it until now had happened to me in a way."

"My dad got injured and then the next nine years a lot of our focus was taking care of him and making sure that we had as full and happy a life as possible, while also facing the realities of my dad being paralyzed and in a wheelchair, unable to move or breathe on his own," he shared.

"And then he died, and I had to learn what grief was. And shortly after that, my mom, who had never smoked, gets sick with lung cancer and then dies, and I learned grief all over again at a different level," he concluded.