After publicly revealing his cancer diagnosis,Young and the RestlessstarEric Braedenis sending an important message to men like himself.The 82-year-old German-born actor recently spoke toEntertainment Tonightabout his health journey and shared that his cancer was initially misdiagnosed, which is why he now wants to raise awareness about it.“I was misdiagnosed at first, and then I went to another [doctor] and he said, ‘You have cancer,'” he told the outlet.“The reason that I’m going public with this is to inform people,” he continued. “As you get older, your prostate grows and it impinges the urethra. It means you have to go to the potty a lot more than you want to. That is sometimes the beginning of some trouble.“Braeden explained that although “the word cancer is scary,” he doesn’t want people to be scared of staying on top of their health and getting routine checkups.“I just want men to know not to be scared of that. I want them to know to have your prostate examined, have your bladder examined, have your colon examined,” he said. “Just acquaint yourself with it and be open about it, so that way you take the fear out of people… A lot of men, me included, would not want to know about it. That’s nonsense.“Sonja Flemming/CBS via GettySince his diagnosis, Braeden said he’s feeling “pretty good” while in the third week of his six-week infusion process. The actor’s been staying positive about his health journey, which he credits to his background in sports.“I’m from the world of sports. I don’t give up easily. I know a good attitude helps. This is manageable,” he told the outlet. “You learn in sports to always look forward to the next time, never give up. You train harder to be better the next time… You look at this now and I said, ‘All right, I’ll deal with it. How do I improve as quick as I can?'“Braeden first revealed his cancer diagnosis during a Facebook Live session last month. In the 13-minute video, the actor said he experienced prostate issues while he was recuperating from recent knee-replacement surgery when his doctor gave him the cancer diagnosis.“I hate to be this personal, but I think this may be good for some older guys who may or may not listen to this,” said the veteran actor, who is currently undergoing immunotherapy.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.High-grade cancer cells were discovered near his bladder while the actor was seeing doctors for prostate problems before he underwent a UroLift. He is currently undergoing treatment for high-grade cells with a six-week immunotherapy treatment plan, he explained.The actor said he is continuing to exercise during treatment, but he has dialed that back for the time being.“I’ve learned now to listen to my body more, and not go all out,” he said at the time. “So if you’ve seen me a little under the weather, yeah, I have been, but I will lick this. This bastard ain’t going to get me, I’m going to get it. I’ll be in top form again soon.““So that’s where I am right now,” continued Braeden, who noted that he will continue acting on the soap despite the diagnosis. “I love acting. I entertain people. I love your support,” said Braeden as he got emotional. “So, whenever you have someone in the family who goes through this, support them. It can work out. Nowadays, there is so much advancement in cancer treatment, you can survive it.”
After publicly revealing his cancer diagnosis,Young and the RestlessstarEric Braedenis sending an important message to men like himself.
The 82-year-old German-born actor recently spoke toEntertainment Tonightabout his health journey and shared that his cancer was initially misdiagnosed, which is why he now wants to raise awareness about it.
“I was misdiagnosed at first, and then I went to another [doctor] and he said, ‘You have cancer,'” he told the outlet.
“The reason that I’m going public with this is to inform people,” he continued. “As you get older, your prostate grows and it impinges the urethra. It means you have to go to the potty a lot more than you want to. That is sometimes the beginning of some trouble.”
Braeden explained that although “the word cancer is scary,” he doesn’t want people to be scared of staying on top of their health and getting routine checkups.
“I just want men to know not to be scared of that. I want them to know to have your prostate examined, have your bladder examined, have your colon examined,” he said. “Just acquaint yourself with it and be open about it, so that way you take the fear out of people… A lot of men, me included, would not want to know about it. That’s nonsense.”
Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty
Since his diagnosis, Braeden said he’s feeling “pretty good” while in the third week of his six-week infusion process. The actor’s been staying positive about his health journey, which he credits to his background in sports.
“I’m from the world of sports. I don’t give up easily. I know a good attitude helps. This is manageable,” he told the outlet. “You learn in sports to always look forward to the next time, never give up. You train harder to be better the next time… You look at this now and I said, ‘All right, I’ll deal with it. How do I improve as quick as I can?'”
Braeden first revealed his cancer diagnosis during a Facebook Live session last month. In the 13-minute video, the actor said he experienced prostate issues while he was recuperating from recent knee-replacement surgery when his doctor gave him the cancer diagnosis.
“I hate to be this personal, but I think this may be good for some older guys who may or may not listen to this,” said the veteran actor, who is currently undergoing immunotherapy.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
High-grade cancer cells were discovered near his bladder while the actor was seeing doctors for prostate problems before he underwent a UroLift. He is currently undergoing treatment for high-grade cells with a six-week immunotherapy treatment plan, he explained.
The actor said he is continuing to exercise during treatment, but he has dialed that back for the time being.
“I’ve learned now to listen to my body more, and not go all out,” he said at the time. “So if you’ve seen me a little under the weather, yeah, I have been, but I will lick this. This bastard ain’t going to get me, I’m going to get it. I’ll be in top form again soon.”
“So that’s where I am right now,” continued Braeden, who noted that he will continue acting on the soap despite the diagnosis. “I love acting. I entertain people. I love your support,” said Braeden as he got emotional. “So, whenever you have someone in the family who goes through this, support them. It can work out. Nowadays, there is so much advancement in cancer treatment, you can survive it.”
source: people.com
