49ers star George Kittle has opened up about the tragic family diagnosis that's caused him to be a lot more proactive about his health. He opened up to People in partnership with Novartis to discuss prostate cancer and his grandfather.
His grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago - luckily, he survived it, but died of natural causes last year. In the wake of his passing, he decided to talk to his father - who put things into perspective about his grandfather's health.
"I had zero awareness," the 49ers star recalled. "I had no idea about anything except I was just like, all right, well, it's prostate cancer, I don't know anything."
He partnered with Novartis to promote people getting cancer screenings. It's quite simple, he explained. "You go in, get blood tested and then you continue to live your life. It's not scary, it's not intimidating, it's pretty straightforward."
While he admits he's "not a doctor", he also wanted to help people who normally wouldn't get blood tests. "Relax. It's a blood test. It's so easy," he explained.
As a professional athlete, he "gets IVs, gets blood tests, gets acupuncture". "You can deal with the needle. It's okay."
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The 49ers Star Also Opened Up About His "Positive Mindset"
In case you weren't aware, the 49ers star recently experienced a devastating Achilles' heel injury. And if you also weren't aware, he made a pretty speedy recovery - something he attributes to his "positive mindset."
"I try to attack everything with a violently positive mindset," he explained. "It doesn't matter your situation, just attack it as best you can... I'm lucky, I live a life where I can do that."
"My wife loves me, my parents are healthy, I play football for a job - I don't have a lot to complain about. Okay, I tore my Achilles, all right, well, cool."
"I was [also] allowed to have that positive mindset, and that's one thing I try to tell everybody," he added. "If you can attack with positivity, I think you have a better chance of getting back a little bit faster."
Good on him for getting candid!
