One year ago, Bret Hart was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And now, he can truly say it; he has beaten the disease and is, in his words, 100 percent recovered.
In February 2016, Bret “The Hitman” Hart took to social media to announce his prostate cancer diagnosis , going public about his health situation and expressing optimism that he could beat the disease. This wasn’t his first major health scare, as a severe concussion suffered during a match with Bill Goldberg had ended his wrestling career in 2000. “The Hitman” had also suffered a stroke two years later, but he had overcome the odds and made a successful recovery.
Bret Hart fully recovered from prostate cancer. MORE: https://t.co/LRZf64qCdM pic.twitter.com/CQWamcqqwM
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) February 3, 2017
Ten months after successfully undergoing surgery for his condition, Hart spoke to Sports Illustrated ‘s Justin Barrasso in December, talking about his “miraculous” recovery. He added that it was hard for him to go public about his diagnosis, but it turned out to be the right decision and one that allowed him to raise awareness of prostate cancer and the importance of getting tested.
“My health is really good now. On my last visit with my doctor, he told me my PSA level was zero and I’d had a one-in-ten recovery. He said I was a miracle. One of the difficult aspects of my fight with prostate cancer was the decision to go public. Prostate cancer has killed a lot of people and I like to think my coming out and talking about it would encourage other men to get checked.”
A month and a half later, “The Hitman” has a new update on his condition, and fortunately, it’s more good news for the five-time WWE Champion.
Speaking to the Canadian Press , Bret Hart confirmed today that he’s 100 percent recovered from prostate cancer, little more than a year after he had made the shocking announcement on his Instagram account that he was battling the disease. The 59-year-old “Hitman” credited his recovery to the early detection of his cancer, and as he has in previous interviews, he encouraged men over the age of 40 to get blood tests to check if they have the disease.
“You know, it’s so critical for me to stress… that it’s just a blood test. You gotta go in and get a blood test. If you’re a man over 40, you need to go in.”
On a sad note, Bret also issued a cautionary tale, mentioning the case of his older brother Smith, also a former professional wrestler. Like Bret, Smith Hart was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he was actually found to have the disease about two weeks before Bret’s diagnosis, as confirmed in a post on his Facebook account from last year. According to Bret, 68-year-old Smith didn’t get tested early and didn’t act on his situation in time, and he may only have about a year to live.
“You don’t want to be like my brother, Smith, who’s a guy that didn’t worry about it and it’s too late now … If you’ve got prostate cancer, if you don’t catch it early, you could die from it. And if you catch it early, you can live a pretty normal life.”
In the end, Hart is thankful that he’s fully recovered and back to the gym, and as he says, “pretty close to normal.” He’s also busy as ever as he continues encouraging men to get tested for prostate cancer while still early.
According to 660 News , Bret Hart will be appearing at the Rockyview Hospital in Calgary as part of a prostate cancer awareness event that includes free prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood tests, and an opportunity to meet-and-greet and take photos with the pro wrestling legend.
[Featured Image by WWE]
