Deion Sanders breaks down stigma around bladder cancer diagnosis: "Let's stop being ashamed"
In a news conference Monday, Sanders, 57, revealed he is now cancer-free, but didn't shy away from sharing details on what he called his tremendous and tough journey.
"I'm still dealing with going to the bathroom. It's a whole life change," he said. "I'm gonna be transparent. I can't pee like I used to pee. It's totally different."
With a smile, he added he has to "depend on Depend," referencing the adult diaper brand.
"I cannot control my bladder, so I get up to go to the bathroom already four or five times a night," he added. He joked that he's going through the "same trials and tribulations" as his young grandson. "I'm making a joke out of it, but it's real. So if you see port-a-potty on the sideline, it's real. I'm just telling you right now, you're gonna see it."
In addition to the changes to his bladder control, he also dropped about 25 pounds throughout the treatment process, which included laparoscopic surgery to remove his bladder and the creation of a new one from other tissue. Sanders said he's still about 12 pounds below his average weight but feels "strong," "able" and "ready."
Sanders said he recognized a lot of other people are going through what he is, and he wanted to send them a special message: "Let's stop being ashamed of it, and let's deal with it, and let's deal with it head-on."
He also used the opportunity to encourage others to take care of their health and get checkups.
"Men, everybody, get checked out, because if it wasn't for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn't have stumbled up on this," he said. "Especially African American men, we don't like going to the doctors. We don't like nothing to do with a doctor."
But he added he's "not just talking to the brothers — I'm talking to my Caucasian brothers, my Hispanic brothers, my Asian brothers, my everybody — and my sisters. Get checked out. Because it could have been a whole other gathering if I hadn't."
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The optimal dose of exercise Major health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Department of Health and Human Services, all share similar recommendations when it comes to the amount of exercise people should aim for. These organizations all recommend doing at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, or at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity exercise. Moderate exercises include activities such as walking briskly (2.5 to 4 miles per hour), playing doubles tennis or raking the yard. Vigorous exercise includes activities such as jogging, running or shoveling snow. A good rule of thumb for figuring out how hard a specific exercise is is to apply the 'talk test': During moderate-intensity exercise, you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. During vigorous intensity exercise, you can say only a few words before having to stop and take a breath. There is a lot of solid data to support these recommendations. 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In a new analysis in The Lancet, when compared with walking only 2,000 steps per day, people who walked 7,000 steps per day had a 47% lower risk of death from any cause, a 25% lower risk of developing heart disease, about a 50% lower risk of death from heart disease, a 38% lower risk of developing dementia, a 37% lower risk of dying from cancer, a 22% lower risk of depression and a 28% lower risk of falls. Historically, people have aimed for 10,000 steps per day, but this new data indicates that there are tremendous benefits gained simply from walking 7,000 steps daily. It's never too late to start One question that many patients ask me – and other doctors – is: 'Is it ever too late to start exercising?' There is great data to suggest that people can reap the benefits even if they don't begin an exercise program into their 50s. Being sedentary while aging will cause the heart and blood vessels to stiffen. When that happens, blood pressure can go up and people may be at risk of other things such as heart attacks, strokes or heart failure. However, in a study of previously sedentary adults with an average age of 53, two years of regular exercise reversed the age-related stiffening of the heart that otherwise occurs in the absence of routine exercise. And it is important to remember that you do not have to look like a body builder or fitness guru in order to reap the benefits of exercise. Almost three-quarters of the total benefit to heart, brain and metabolic health that can be gained from exercise will be achieved just by following the guidelines. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: William Cornwell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Read more: Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows Heart rate zones aren't a perfect measure of exercise intensity, but regularly getting your heart pumping is still important for fitness Tracking daily step counts can be a useful tool for weight management – an exercise scientist parses the science William Cornwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
