Dwyane Wade is recalling how a routine checkup turned into a life-changing cancer diagnosis that forced him to confront his own mortality and ultimately led to the removal of 40% of his kidney.
The 43-year-old basketball player opened up about his health ordeal on the Jan. 30 episode of his podcast, “The Why With Dwyane Wade,” sharing that what started as a desire to check on minor health concerns — including stomach discomfort and a weaker urine stream — led doctors to discover a tumor on his right kidney.
Wade, who is married to actor Gabrielle Union, revealed that he hadn’t kept up with regular medical checkups since retiring from the NBA in 2019. However, when his father underwent surgery, he decided to schedule a full-body exam for himself. (Wade did not specify the kind of surgery his father underwent or the reason for it.)
Initially, Wade wasn’t expecting anything serious — just some answers to a few questions.
“Why is my p— coming out slow? Why is my stream ain’t powerful? Why is it a little weak?” Wade recalled wondering.
With his father’s health history weighing on his mind, Wade opted for a full-body scan, which led to a surprising revelation: a tumor on his kidney.
“I didn’t go in for my kidneys,” Wade said. “But because I did the full-body scan, they saw something.”
The tumor couldn’t be biopsied, and surgery was the only way to confirm if it was cancerous. So, on Dec. 18, 2023, Wade had a surgery to remove 40% of his kidney, a move that turned out to be life-saving.
“Thank God that I did do the surgery, right?” Wade explained. “Because the tumor was cancerous.”
For Wade, the post-operation experience proved to be more than physically challenging. It put him in an unfamiliar place of vulnerability as well.
“I think it was the first time my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” Wade, who is a father to five, admitted. “That moment was probably the weakest I’ve ever felt in my life.”
“One thing you never want to do as a man? You never want your family to see you weak,” he continued.
Kidney tumors can be treated through surgery or other therapies, Cleveland Clinic explains on its website. Early detection is vital for success in treating and recovering from kidney cancer.
