WWE star John Cena has opened up about his personal battle with skin cancer, having been diagnosed twice, and is now advocating for greater skin safety awareness.
Cena grew up in a small town near Newburyport, recalling some of his earlier memories at "small carnivals and people walking the beachside".
He recently told People that he became "stubborn" to the use of sunscreen as he went into his twenties, and that he "didn't want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me".
However, it wasn't until he visited a dermatologist for a skin check and had a cancerous spot removed from his right pec.
"I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn't alone," he shared.
"The stats on this are overwhelming, but as much as I learn about them, those numbers don’t mean anything. I think the best way to hammer home a point is human-to-human connection. And I as a human can tell you: Man, that phone call’s not what you want to get because it is unpredictable and you don’t know how bad it’s going to be."
A year later, Cena had a second cancerous spot removed from his right shoulder, adding: "It shows up like a white polka dot on the side of my chest and on my shoulder."
Cena has since partnered with Neutrogena for their 'Sunscreen You Can’t See' campaign.
"Never once did I picture myself as the go-to person for a skincare campaign," he shared.
"And just because I love what I do and have passion for what I do, and I'm so grateful to have the backing of such a dedicated audience for so long, a very unlikely spokesperson has been able to be a spokesperson for a skincare campaign. You never know who you're going to reach, right?"
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