Roman Reigns Explains His Cancer Journey And How He Took Care Of Himself

Roman Reigns joined "The Bloodline With LLS podcast explains his cancer journey back in 2007.

As we know on October 22, Reigns relinquished the title and announced his hiatus on Raw, revealing that his leukemia had returned after 11 years of privately battling it and being in remission.



Following this announcement, Reigns would go on an indefinite hiatus to receive treatment. Reigns was first diagnosed in May 2007 when he was signed to the Minnesota Vikings and went into remission around two years after the initial diagnosis.

Roman Reigns explains his cancer journey to the President & CEO, Dr. Louis DeGennaro. Roman Reigns kicked off saying what motivated him to be the WWE Superstars.

Roman Reigns: "you know, it's kind of a family business for us. My father was a wrestler along with my uncle and before him before those guys. They were mentored by the High Chief Peter Maivia, which is I mean, he was huge way back in the day. His name was really brought to light whenever his grandson "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson. Hit it big. I made a name for himself. So he was kind of huge mentors for my father and uncle and really Come into the business and then from there."



"It was just countless cousins all the way to my brother and then my cousin's the Usos who also wrestle currently with me to myself and then we have a few more cousins that are younger than us that are also online who can also do some special stuff. So I hopefully we're just continuing the tradition and building the Legacy for even more of our family tree to a partake."

Roman Reigns on what that diagnosis was and a little bit of the signs and symptoms that he has.

Roman Reigns: "I was like we're going I had a bit of a relapse with CML diagnosed with CML, which is chronic myeloid Leukemia. And mainly I think a huge part of it was just the fatigue and one thing sometimes I forget just because we're so used to you know, being Sports entertainers and performers and just how physical or job is we kind of can just mow over the little injuries and the bumps and the bruises."



"But one thing that I didn't really take full notice them because I just felt like I'm supposed to be sore when you're wrestling sometimes five matches a week three to four nights a week. You're just beat up, you know, and you have all these Nicks and bruises, and then you just kind of get used to feeling sore all the time along with training being in the gym as well."

"But my spleen had an enlarged and that was something that I think was kind of one of the more short term, Serious side effects that I had to deal with just involving the physicality of being in the ring and God, you know, I'm so lucky that fortunately, nothing happened."

"Thank God that I work with some really really talented performers and some just great professionals. just you guys who as violent and as physical as our job can be they're very good at what they do and no one hit me, you know on the wrong place and cause a rupture or anything like that because as I'm sure you know that and out of town and Arena, you know on the road away from your family something like that happens and you get roughly emergency room, but I did the surgery it just can you know along with us serious as you can just pause session just a crazy just emotional roller coaster for everybody."

"So that was something that we had to really take into account and get me out of the ring and that's why it just all started to happen so abruptly, but I think the main thing I was feeling was the fatigue always feeling tired. Not quite sure why even if I were able to give good night's rest even have a couple of days of recovery being off the road. It just never felt like it got off of me. It was just that monkey on my back at all times but a long that I just always thought it was you're working hard and you're chasing your dreams and you're busting your tail every single week trying to you know, get the job done."

"Especially when you're performing at an elite level at the very top of the biggest company in the world as far as Sports Entertainment, These are rigors that come with the schedule in the lifestyle, so I tried not to as we would say in the wrestling world. Try not to sell. But thank God we're well taken care of between the company and then my doctor's my ecologist doing our blood stress and our CVC's and keeping track. That's tough. I was able to see my white blood cells getting out of whack again."

Roman Reigns further explains on The diagnosis again was through the blood counts and seeing with the white blood cell.

Roman Reigns goes on: "correct? Yeah. Yeah, and I mean, you know better than anybody that's kind of a beauty with blood cancers. It's one of the easiest cancers to test and you know do research and Labs on because it's not invasive as far as having to cut out a tumor, you know, take flesh and tissue and Sample that so very very lucky in that were good"

Roman Reigns on how cancer has changed his life.

Roman Reigns: "I've always been one to take care of myself especially being an athlete, but I think especially now as I've got a little bit older and matured over the years. I really go out of my way to live a healthy lifestyle to live to put my nutrition and you know go Fitness First speakers at the end of the day and you know sometimes as a young man, you can be hard, you know, and you know as a life State there can be very hard at it."

"I've been in over the years you've seen. I'm not sure why I'm sure you know better than I would you seen younger patients, you know diagnosed with this and I think as young people can be resilient, you know, very prideful, sometimes arrogant they don't think even in the face of something as serious as we came here that what this isn't going to stop me going to continue to live my life and I'm going to continue to fight for my dreams and let out a goes but there are some concessions that need to be made, you know, you have to really take into account your Fitness your exercise what you're putting in your body the nutrition and the rest that you're getting and sometimes all of those things are not checked off by a 20-year old."

Roman Reigns on if he did rely on his doctor or some healthcare professionals? Did he ever come to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for advice?

Roman Reigns: "Actually, you know a lot of it early on was mainly through my doctors and my oncologist at the time, but it was something that I did with, you know, just doing some research and visiting lol s dot org, you know the time it was just a website, you know, I didn't have any names or faces or resources or true contacts, but it was something as far as just getting information and even now to this day which a lot of times just a simple Google search will reverse you right to the website, you know."

"So I think it's not only just the information but getting good information getting a reliable source. That way you can have those connections and then the understanding of what you're going through and what's essentially attacking you body and to also understand that you're not alone. I think that's you know, especially with leukemia. That's one of the hardest things to understand because sometimes you don't see a major change."

"Sometimes it can be like a Silent Assassin attacking you and you don't know what's going on and sometimes that can be worse when your brain can wonder when you can mentally go insane thinking how can this happen to me? You know, I look I look healthy. I feel healthy other than being tired and maybe a few small things here there. You just not quite sure why this is happening to you so you can rely and tap into a reliable resource man. That would make it so much easier for you mentally which obviously connected emotionally and then for some spiritually."

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