Will Reeve has experienced more than his share of heartbreaking family tragedy. The Good Morning America corespondent is the son of the late Christopher Reeve. The iconic Superman star died at age 52 in 2004. He was thrown from a horse in 1995 and paralyzed from the neck down. Will Reeve's mother, Dana Reeve, died of lung cancer two years later. She was 44. However, Will has had great joy as well. He wed his sweetheart, Amanda Dubin, earlier this year. He has now reportedly been facing a significant health challenge. Will Reeve was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the spring, a situation he made public on GMA on Tuesday, September 29.
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Per People, it metastasized to some lymph nodes in his abdomen. Thankfully, though, Reeve also triumphantly said that "This cancer is in the rear-view mirror." He added, "I'm going to be fine. But this was a heck of a chapter." As of a checkup on September 8, Reeve is reportedly cancer-free.
Reeve Is Following His Parents' Courageous Example
He said on the program, "Watching my parents up close take the adversity they faced in their lives and repurpose it into something hopeful left a major impact on my life and how I try to live it," Reeve explained, his wife sitting by his side.
When he noticed what People described as "a tender lump" on one of his testicles, he shrugged it off at first. But Amanda strongly encouraged him to check it out anyway. He did and got the bombshell diagnosis. "I was stunned," he acknowledged. Reeve then had an orchiectomy in May to remove the problematic testicle.
The couple had their devotion to each other affirmed by these challenging circumstances. Said Amanda, "The silver lining was that we had validation early in the marriage that we are well-equipped to tackle anything."
He Needed More Surgery
Will Reeve learned that most of his cancer was embryonal carcinoma, which is typically aggressive. So he underwent six hours of surgery in June to take out "dozens of" abdominal lymph nodes, per the outlet. When a few of them tested positive for cancer, Reeve had chemo.
The experience made him flashback to the past. In fact, Reeve said, "The irony is not lost on me that 20 years after my mom died of lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, there I was in the same building getting treated for cancer."
Reeve also noted, "Simultaneously, I was learning more about what it was like to be my dad in the final nine years of his life, where he had my mom and our family taking care of him."
His Takeaway From What He Went Through
Will Reeve said he views life though a somewhat different lens now. "The experience has taught me to pay attention to my body," he concluded. "And lean on your people." Plus to pick his priorities carefully. "It's easy to get caught up in the madness of modern life and forget what's most important."
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