OAN’s James Meyers
2:30 PM -Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Fitness guru Richard Simmons, who is known for his eccentric, flamboyant, and energetic personality, revealed in a lengthy statement that he has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
“Mirror mirror on the wall what’s that blemish which is so small,” Simmons, 75, said in a Facebook post. “There was this strange looking bump under my right eye. I had a tube of Neosporin which I would put on in the morning and the evening . . . it was still there. It was time to call my dermatologist.”
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope,” he continued. “Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C-word [referring to cancer].”
Nevertheless, Simmons tried to lighten the mood with humor by explaining that he told his doctor to “stop calling [him] dirty names” when he was told he had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.
“You have to go to a cancer doctor right away,” Simmons wrote. “But now that you are here I suggest you put some Botox in your forehead lines and your smile lines and let’s pump up those cheeks of yours…..I patted him on his hand and said, ‘Not today doctor.’ ”
“He explained that he has to burn my skin to remove the cancer cells,” said the Sweatin’ to the Oldies fitness guru. “There was no numbing… it just had to be done with a small instrument. As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek. You can’t cry during this and he wiped my tear. The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes.”
Simmons then went on to say that he returned to the office later that day, but he had to repeat the procedure for a second time.
“After driving around the city, I went back to some sad news. I didn’t get it all out,” he went on. “He burned my face again. This time was worse than before… It was deeper. I did not cry this time, but I did grit my teeth.”
Simmons followed up with his fans on Wednesday, saying that the dermatologist confirmed, “We got all the cancer cells out.”
“Promise me you will see your doctor and get a complete check up,” he continued.
The news from Simmons comes after the fitness guru concerned fans over a post Simmons shared about dying.
“I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am …. dying,” he wrote in a post on Monday this week. “Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Everyday we live we are getting closer to our death.”
“Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day,” he continued. “Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.”
He then concluded, “If you have time I want you to listen to a terrific song. It is by Tim McGraw it is called ‘Live Like You Were Dying.’ Live today and don’t forget to pray. Love, Richard.”
After the post garnered so much attention online, Simmons apologized and clarified his statement. “Sorry, many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying,” he shared.
“It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have,” he added. “Sorry for the confusion.”
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