On a recent episode of his podcast, “The Why with Dwyane Wade,” NBA Hall of Famer and Miami Heat legend, Dwyane Wade, shared that in 2023, he had a health issue that led to a significant discovery for he and his family.
On the January 30 episode of Wade’s podcast, titled “Timeout Pt. 1: A Men’s Wellness Conversation + Dwyane Opens Up About Health Scare,” Wade revealed that in 2023, he had been putting off a physical but concerns about his health led to him seeing a physician. That visit led to the discovery of a tumor on one of his kidneys. Wade had a decision to make because the tumor could not be biopsied without being removed by surgery.
“I had a personal decision to make, and what it was was, ‘If this is cancerous, if this tumor, this cyst is cancerous, on your kidney, you’re 41 years old, you probably need surgery because it’s something that needs to be removed so it doesn’t spread.”
Wade acknowledged how tough it was for his family to see him in such a condition, and how tough it was for him to both be in that situation and be seen by his loved ones in that state.
“My own journey to have that surgery, I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak. That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Once the tumor, and about 40 percent of his right kidney, was removed and biopsied, the tumor was discovered to be cancerous. For Wade, the health scare and the ensuing surgery and recovery required him to find strength from those around him. He shared what it was like to draw from them during his time of sickness.
“What I saw in the midst of me going through my illness, I saw my family that may not always talk, may not always agree; I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process, in my weakness I found strength in my family.”
