According to the Mayo Clinic, 40% of men in the US will be diagnosed with cancer at some point. It has become incredibly common, and in men, prostate cancer is the one to worry about the most. Ryan Seacrest of American Idol has recently spoken about his father’s struggle with cancer over the past few years, talking of how it has affected him.
For several years, Ryan Seacrest has watched his father battle with cancer. However, he rarely speaks about it. On a recent On Air With Ryan Seacrest, he opened up about how it has been for him and his family.
Prefering to keep his private life that way, he typically is quite closed about his father’s health. It was understood that it wasn’t great, but the details were kept to a minimum. In a recent exposé, breaking down, he gave some more insight.
A Long Battle With Cancer
For several years, the father of Ryan Seacrest has been dealing with prostate cancer. At some points, they believed it had gone away. Recently, however, it has become worse. He explains how hard it is to watch his father go through the treatments.
The American Idol star said it’s “a hard thing to see, because the treatments that are commonly recommended can be barbaric to the system. They can cause so much damage to your body in other ways.”
At one point, after shooting American Idol, Ryan Seacrest was called to the ICU concerning a serious issue with his father’s cancer treatment. “The night that I got there, the conversation they were having with [my father] about an emergency surgery was a life or death conversation, and I’ve never seen my strong, very smart father with the look on his face that he had — and the concern, and looking at me to help guide what decisions should be made in this moment.”
He and his family have been going through the struggle together. And, in some ways, it has pulled them closer. “I got the most powerful, good, happy picture from my dad and my mother, who was with him. They went to a beach to sit outside.” Together they shared a moment. “They just went to look at the water. They can’t do much, but I saw him smile. I saw my mom smile,” he recalled.
He is lucky to be able to be there with his father, but it doesn’t stop the situation from being bittersweet.