James Pickens Jr. has opened up about his cancer diagnosis, just days after his Grey’s Anatomy character, Dr. Richard Webber, revealed he had cancer on the show’s mid-season finale.
In a recent interview with Black Health Matters, the 73-year-old actor, who has starred in the ABC medical drama since its debut in 2005, revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, noting the disease runs in his family.
“It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family,” Pickens shared with the outlet. “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.”
On Thursday’s (November 13) episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Pickens’ Dr. Richard Webber revealed to Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) that he had also been given a cancer diagnosis, mirroring his real-life situation.
Despite the diagnosis, Pickens remains positive, noting, “I’ve got a 90-year-old first cousin, who’s still alive, actually; he had it. His son has it. A couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it.”
Pickens said that the cancer was caught early due to his regular health check-ups. “My urologist said, ‘Because you were so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested,’” he stated.
Thanks to these regular health checks, the cancer was caught before it had spread beyond the prostate. The Conners alum said he chose to undergo a radical prostatectomy, a surgery to remove the entire prostate gland.
“We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take,” Pickens continued. “I do have a rare variant that you don’t see very often… It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T’s and dotting all their I’s. But they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine.”
Pickens said that he hopes talking about his diagnosis will encourage others to get tested. “Where we are and how we view the medical community, especially as African American men… we know the history of that, and how far that goes back in terms of our trepidation about being tested, and getting something as simple as a physical,” he explained.
“Today, I am living proof that early detection works,” he added. “If you’re Black, or prostate cancer runs in your family, talk to your doctor about getting screened starting at age 40.”
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