Rocky and The Expendables actor Dolph Lundgren revealed earlier this month that he’s had a long-term battle with lung cancer that was actually once so serious that he was told he’d only have a couple of years to live. The 65-year-old action star is currently doing well health-wise, and has now spoken to the response he received from the public since opening up about it.
Lundgren shared a couple weeks ago on In Depth with Graham Bensinger that doctors found a tumor in his kidney back in 2015, which was successfully treated. Then in 2020, what he originally thought was acid reflux turned out to be more tumors in that area, which were inoperable. His doctor gave him a terminal diagnosis after finding them in his lungs, stomach, spine and kidneys. After losing a ton of weight due to a struggle to get down food, thankfully he got a second opinion about his condition, and medication helped shrink his tumors by 90%. On Monday, Lundgren shared how news of his cancer battle has helped others by saying this:
A lot of people. It feels good, it feels great. As a matter of fact, my two next projects both people involved, producers involved and other people are asking for advice. It was cool, it was nice. The reason I did it, I said to myself, ‘If I can help one person then I’m going to do it.’ I’ve already done that.
In an interview with TMZ, Lundgren shared that talking about his personal experience with cancer has already led to a lot of people reaching out to him, including producers and people involved in projects he’s working on. Dolph Lundgren decided to reveal his personal medical history in hopes of inspiring others to look into their own afflictions, and as it turns out, it’s already proved itself worth it for him.
It’s never easy to get real about overcoming struggles like cancer with the public, especially when it comes to such a larger-than-life star like Dolph Lundgren. However, the actor’s recent words shows that speaking out about it has really benefited others. Considering the National Cancer Institute reported roughly 2 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. in 2023, the disease affects so many people, and it isn’t necessarily being talked about a lot by famous people.
Dolph Lundgren’s story with cancer thus far is jolting, but also one of hope. The actor stars in four 2023 new movie releases, including the upcoming Expendables film, which he has made sound very expensive and bloody. Lundgren will once again co-star with Stallone, Jason Statham and Randy Couture along with Megan Fox, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Andy Garcia, and Tony Jaa joining the cast. Additionally, Lundgren is among the Aquaman 2 cast as King Nereus. It’s great to hear the actor is doing well with his health nowadays and inspiring others!
