Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders has spoken publicly about his recent battle with bladder cancer. After undergoing surgery in July to remove and reconstruct his bladder, performed by Dr. Janet Kukreja, Sanders emphasized the importance of routine health screenings.
Following his recovery, Sanders addressed his followers on X, sharing a message about personal health. “I wasn’t joking! I truly DEPEND on @Depend,” Sanders wrote on X. “#ad Ain’t NO SHAME in taking care of yourself. NO SHAME in getting health screenings. And there certainly ain’t NO SHAME in needing added protection or using Depend to stay in the game. That’s not weakness — that’s WINNING.” This statement was part of a collaboration with the lifestyle brand Depend.
Sanders’ encouragement for early detection was prompted by his own diagnosis, which he said was found incidentally during a routine CT scan.
Former National Football League tight end Shannon Sharpe echoed similar points after learning about Sanders’ cancer diagnosis on a recent episode of his podcast Nightcap. “Coach Prime [Sanders], you know everybody here at Nightcap is sending out thoughts and prayers to you and are glad you are feeling better,” Sharpe said.
Sharpe spoke about losing three loved ones to cancer and explained why he started regular testing at age 33, earlier than typical recommendations due to family history. “Prostate cancer is one of the more curable cancers if detected early, that’s why early screening is very important, especially if it runs in your family, so please go get tested,” Sharpe said. “My father died of cancer, and two of his brothers died of cancer. So I didn’t wait till the age of 40 to get tested; I started getting tested at 33. And then they were able to detect it [cancer] and I ended up getting a colonoscopy. I got diagnosed in 2016 and got treated in 2017, and I’ve been cancer-free ever since.”
Both Sanders and Sharpe highlighted their shared advice for early screening as an essential measure for personal health.
