Fans support Greys Anatomy star amid cancer | TV Shows

Concerned followers have shared their support after a Grey’s Anatomy star revealed he has cancer.

James Pickens Jr, who performs Dr. Richard Webber in the famed medical drama, announced his diagnosis in a current interview. This comes days after his character discovered he also had cancer during the season 22 midseason finale.

Speaking to Black Health Matters, James spoke about the second he discovered he had prostate cancer, the same disease his character suffers from.

“It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family. My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it,” the 73-year-old actor said.

Adding, “I’ve acquired a 90-year-old first cousin, who’s still alive, really; he had it. His son has it. A pair of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I do know, has succumbed to it.”

James, who has been on Grey’s Anatomy since the show’s first episode in 2005, explained that he had been proactive about his health, considering his family’s history with the disease.

He said he started getting annual physicals and began PSA (prostate-specific antigen) testing at the age of 41, remarking, “My urologist said, ‘Because you have been so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your benefit. We have been in a position to catch it so early because you have been being examined.'”

It was during James’ January exam that his medical team noticed elevated PSA levels. They soon referred him to a urologist, and he had an MRI, which revealed “one thing suspicious.”

James also had a biopsy, which then confirmed he had cancer, but fortunately, a PET scan showed that the cancer had not spread.

The veteran actor revealed he underwent a radical prostatectomy, performed robotically by two urologists, to remove the tumor.

“We caught it actually early, and so they thought that could be the best route to take,” James said, adding, “I do have a uncommon variant that you don’t see very often. They wished to err on the facet of warning and keep an eye on it.”

“It was uncommon enough that they wished to make sure that they have been crossing all the T’s and dotting all their I’s. But they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine,” he continued.

However, James explained that he’s sharing his story for one main reason: to raise awareness about cancer in the Black community.

“Where we’re and how we view the medical group, particularly as African American males,” he said. “We know the historical past of that, and how far that goes back in phrases of our trepidation about being examined, and getting one thing as simple as a bodily.”

On social media, fans have shared their support with James, with one Instagram user penning, “Love him. I cried at the end. This message is so important.”

A second person also wrote, “This touched my coronary heart… not because my dad died from prostate cancer — he didn’t. He really beat his cancer years in the past. But listening to Grey’s Anatomy discuss about early detection jogged my memory how important it truly is.”

“I’m so proud of you, I like you to the moon and past!” said a third.