Living His Dream
- ‘American Ninja Warrior’ host Matt Iseman, 54, initially became a doctor like his father, but when he felt the urge to change his career and head from Denver to Los Angeles to pursue stand-up comedy, his dad surprisingly gave him his full support: ‘Life is short. Do what makes you happy.’
- Iseman, who beat a common type of kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma in 2007, has since become an Emmy award winner — and after winning The New Celebrity Apprentice in 2017, is friends with his childhood idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently encouraged him where and when to pop the question to his now-fiancée.
- When faced with a health challenge like cancer, it can be hard to focus on life outside of your disease. But it’s important to remember that your mental state can actually impact your success as a patient. Keep moving forward.
- Spend time with people who show you unconditional support and encouragement. They will ease your stress and help you remember that you’re not alone in this. Even if you feel that you’re not in the mood or don’t have the energy, you will feel better after that meet-up or call. Having support is really critical in the healing process.
He is still living by those words today. In 2007, the Emmy Award-winning co-host of American Ninja Warrior became a real-life warrior when he was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. Thankfully, he has been cancer-free for nearly two decades now, but certainly does not take his health for granted.
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“Medicine was the perfect career for me on paper. I love science. I love helping people. But I realized that we don’t live our lives on paper. And for me, my heart just wasn’t in it the way it should be.”
For most people, “medicine is a calling,” he said of the profession that comes with a “sacred responsibility.”
“And I just didn’t feel my heart was in the right place to be able to continue.”
Matt’s Cancer Diagnosis
After some success in L.A., Iseman landed the gig as host and moderator of the NBC competition show in 2010, which is currently on the air and in its 16th season.
“Being a part of Ninja Warrior is so humbling, because anytime I think things that I have faced are challenging,” he shared. “I see people who are out here running the course with Parkinson’s disease, people who’ve had cancer, people who’ve had strokes, people who’ve lost limbs. You see people who have gone through far worse and still find a way to continue to pursue their goals.”
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Iseman, by that time, was recovering from cancer, and prior to that, he had been suffering from a chronic autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis. But when he started experiencing chest discomfort, it felt different than his usual day-to-day symptoms. After a scan, the radiologist noticed a small tumor on his right kidney. He was told it’s most likely cancer and needed surgery. Sure enough, it was renal cell carcinoma.
When Matt woke up from the five-hour surgery, he was diagnosed and told he was cancer-free at the same time. “It was just surreal — my head was spinning.”
However, he also knew how fortunate this situation was.
“I know how lucky I am. That’s why I like to share my story. Because anytime the word cancer comes up, it’s hard not to conjure worst-case scenarios. I think the more we can tell stories about these good outcomes, the more people realize there’s hope.”
“Anytime the word cancer comes up, it’s hard not to conjure worst-case scenarios. I think the more we can tell stories about these good outcomes, the more people realize there’s hope.”
Now cancer-free for over a decade, he has been managing his health favorably, with his arthritis still responding to treatment as he continues taking immunosuppressant medication.
RELATED: New Hope for Kidney Cancer Patients — Immunotherapy Drug Reduces Risk of Recurrence by 32%
After all the changes he’s been through with his health and career, Iseman ended the interview with a top highlight throughout. Becoming friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2017, he not only landed a spot on The New Celebrity Apprentice with The Terminator himself, but he also won.
Earlier this year, the action star (and former California governor) was present at a party in Austria (along with former senator John Kerry) where Iseman proposed to his now-fiancé, criminal defense attorney Britton All, and was even the driving force who talked him into doing it there in front of 3,000 people.
“The guy whose poster was on my wall growing up, he’s now a friend of mine.”
Understanding Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer develops when cells in the kidneys, a pair of bean-shaped organs each about the size of a fist, begin to grow out of control. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer. In fact, about 9 out of 10 kidney cancers are RCCs.
American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 81,610 new cases of kidney cancer through 2024 (52,380 in men and 29,230 in women). Here are some signs of the disease to look out for:
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Low back pain on one side (not caused by injury)
- A mass (lump) on the side or lower back
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss not caused by dieting
- Fever that is not caused by an infection and doesn’t go away
- Anemia (low red blood cell counts)
Kidney cancer can metastasize, or spread, to any part of the body through the blood or lymphatic system. When that happens, the first signs of cancer may not be specific to your kidneys.
Overcoming Adversity
Overcoming adversity can seem daunting. But the experts we spoke with say focusing on the following steps can help you make meaningful change.
- Set a goal. No matter what the situation, create a new goal for yourself. If you have just been diagnosed with cancer or a chronic illness, perhaps one goal would be to educate yourself about the disease and the possible treatments as much as possible.
- Make a plan. How will you achieve this goal? Your plan will help you focus on that goal. Dr. Siddhartha Ganguly refers to this determined, focused mindset as “the eye of the tiger,” which can help people dealing with health problems, such as lymphoma and other cancers. “You have to have the eye of the tiger to go through this grueling process that is necessary these days to get rid of these virulent and aggressive cancers.”
- Rely on others. Spend time with people who show you unconditional support and encouragement. They will ease your stress and help you remember that you’re not alone in this. Dr. Samantha Boardman, a psychiatrist and author, shared a coping strategy with SurvivorNet that can be productive, which is simply to reach out and talk to others. Even if you feel that you’re not in the mood or don’t have the energy, you will feel better after that meet-up or call. Having support we know is really critical in the healing process.
- Use positive self-talk. Leave messages with affirmations in places you frequent. Put notes around your mirror or the computer screen that say “You got this!” or “Keep going!” Cut out inspirational quotes from people you admire and surround yourself with their words.” Dr. Boardman added. “Positive emotions have unique benefits above and beyond managing negative emotions.”
Finding Joy Outside of Cancer
When faced with a cancer battle it can be hard to focus on life outside of your disease. But it’s important to remember that your mental state can actually impact your success as a patient.
Determination & Hope Despite Setbacks Prevail in ‘Climbing Blind’
“I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patients are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, also advocates for cancer warriors to prioritize their mental health. She noted that emotional well-being has been studied as a factor in patient outcomes.
“We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes,” Dr. Chase told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
What Still Brings You Joy? Your Emotional Health is So Important
“So, working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment [and] your emotional well-being are important and can impact your survival,” she explained.
“If that’s related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities.”
There are no right or wrong answers, but Dr. Chase says doing things that bring you joy is important. She recommends writing down ten things that make you happy and intentionally making the time to do those activities throughout the day.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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