Richard Simmons has revealed that he was diagnosed with skin cancer, just days after worrying his fans with a message about death.
The television fitness icon, 75, shared a post on Facebook on Tuesday, March 19, with an update on her health. In the lengthy message, Simmons explained how he had discovered a “strange looking lump” under his right eye and decided to call his dermatologist.
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me that he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope. “Now I’m getting a little nervous,” the fitness personality wrote. “He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. 'You have cancer.' I asked him what type of cancer and he told me: 'Basel [sic] cell carcinoma.' I told him to stop insulting me. The river.”
Simmons jokingly wrote how the dermatologist suggested he get some Botox injections while he was visiting the office, to which Simmons responded, “Not today, doc.”
He then scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ralph A. Massey, a dermatologic and skin cancer surgeon, who outlined to Simmons the next steps needed to treat his skin cancer. He “He explained to me that he has to burn my skin to eliminate the cancer cells. There was no numbing, it just had to be done with a small instrument,” Simmons recalled. “When he started burning my skin, a tear fell down my cheek. You can't cry during this and he wiped away my tears. The burning really hurt my skin. “It lasted about 30 minutes.”
Simmons was told to “come back in an hour and a half” to see if it had been successfully removed. After “driving around town,” she returned to Dr. Massey’s office and received “sad news” that the cancer had not been completely removed.
“It burned my face again. This time it was worse than before… it was deeper. This time I didn't cry, but I did grit my teeth,” Simmons wrote, concluding his post with the cliffhanger: “…to be continued…”
Her skin cancer announcement comes just a day after Simmons worried her fans with a Facebook post claiming she was dying. Earlier this week, she sent a message to his followers on social media: “I have news to tell you. Please, do not be sad. I am dying. Oh, I can see your faces now. The truth is that we are all dying. Every day we live we get closer to death.”
The post appeared to encourage other people to make “healthy” lifestyle changes, including suggestions for breakfast and dinner, as well as exercise tips for “cardio and strength.”
“There is something else very important that you must do. Tell your loved ones that you love them. Hug those people and children who really matter to you. “A big hug really helps a lot,” Simmons added.
However, he later apologized for the “confusion” his post had caused and assured his fans that he was not dying. “I'm sorry that many of you were upset by my message today. Even the press has contacted me. “I’m not dying,” Simmons wrote in a follow-up post. “It was a message about how we should take advantage of every day we have. “I'm sorry for this confusion.”
There has been much speculation surrounding the once frequent television fitness instructor, who has not appeared in public since 2014. In 1974, Simmons became a public figure after opening a fitness studio, called The Anatomy Asylum before being renamed Like Slimmons. In Los Angeles. He later made several appearances on American radio and television talk shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Late show with David Letterman.
Amid concerns about his whereabouts, Simmons gave a telephone interview to the Today show to deny that his housekeeper was holding him hostage in 2016. He has also repeatedly stated that he simply chose to live a life away from the spotlight.
More recently, Simmons denounced a new biopic about his life starring comedian Pauly Shore. He clarified that he had not approved the project and reiterated his desire to “live a quiet life and be at peace.”
