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Daymond John on Why He Decided to Reveal Cancer Diagnosis

Shark Tank’s Daymond John told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview that he revealed his stage II thyroid cancer diagnosis earlier this month to help others get ahead of their health.

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“I wanted to talk about it because we often see people in the news, like my dear friend Big Ang, after it was too late,” John told Us while referring to the late reality star, who died in February 2016 at the age of 55 from stage IV lung and brain cancer. “We always say, ‘I feel sorry for them, but what could they have done?’ Nobody sees people like me who are like, ‘Guess what — I didn’t skip a beat.’ I had surgery. I was in the bed for a day and now I’m out here hanging and partying and being with my kids and I’m healthy only because I took the opportunity to check into something. That’s why I wanted to do it. I wanted people to understand that you actually don’t have to bury your head in the sand and just hope that the truck doesn’t hit you.”

Daymond John
Daymond John during the Annual Rush HeARTS Education Valentine’s Luncheon at The New York City Plaza Hotel in 2015.

John, 48, was diagnosed with the cancer last year and underwent treatment to have it successfully removed. He told Us that he has his friend Bernie Yuman to thank for getting the initial physical.

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“He sat there one day with me and said, ‘All the money and the success you have, why don’t you ever get executive physicals?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what the hell an executive physical is.’ I look up what an executive physical is … and basically they put you through all kinds of machines,” the FUBU creator shared. “I went to UCLA and they check everything on you. It’s not covered by insurance so it’s about $10,000. That’s exactly what he was saying like, ‘You have more than enough money to do that. Go do it.’ So I go do it.”

While the end results weren’t what John was anticipating, he previously shared during a Facebook Live on May 12 that he’s on the mend.

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“Let me tell you something. They caught everything, and I am fine,” he said in the video. “I am absolutely fine.”

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