Gunther may be the best friend of them all.
SurvivorNet has learned that actor James Michael Tyler, 59, chose not to attend the recent Friends Reunion or share the news that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer because he did not want to ruin the night for his famous co-stars.
Read MoreNone of this dampened Tyler’s mood though, as he called his time on the show “the 10 most memorable years of my life.” In total, Tyler appeared on 148 episodes of Friends, more than any other guest actor.
“I could not have imagined a better experience. All these guys were fantastic. It was just a joy to work with them,” added Tyler at the reunion.
Fans were quick to realize something was amiss especially since every other person who made a cameo on the special appeared in person. That mystery was solved on Monday when Tyler appeared on Today.
“I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones,” Tyler told host Craig Melvin.
“It’s stage 4. Late stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.”
He revealed that he was diagnosed at 56 after a routine screening came back with an alarmingly high number of antigens. He was quick to seek treatment, however, and noted how easy it all was in the early days.
“All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal,” said Tyler. He even appeared on Today to talk about Friends a year into his treatment.
“I was feeling fine, honestly. I had no symptoms, I didn’t feel any symptoms. And it was very easy to regulate,” the actor said.
The next thing he knew, the cancer had mutated and spread. What’s worse, he was late to learn about those developments because he had skipped a scheduled check-up.
Now, he is using his celebrity to encourage other men to get checked for cancer.
“There are other options available to men if they catch it before me. Next time you go in for just a basic exam or your yearly checkup, please ask your doctor for a PSA test. It’s easily detectable,” urged Tyler.
He then used himself as a cautionary tale, explaining: “If it spreads beyond the prostate to the bones, which is most prevalent in my form, it can be a lot more difficult to deal with.”
Tyler and his wife Jennifer Carno are also raising money for the cause, with Carno using her Facebook page to post: “Many wonderful friends have asked how they can help…We must get the word out about early detection of prostate cancer. If you're black or have a family history (mom with breast cancer, dad/uncles/siblings with prostate cancer) and you have a prostate, please get your PSA checked starting at 40. Everyone else at 45. It used to be 55, but that's not soon enough.”
She then included a link to a fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Foundation that as of Wednesday afternoon had raised a little over $2,000 for the cause.
Keeping a Cancer Battle Private
Health is a deeply personal matter, and it’s up to you and you alone to determine who has the right and privilege to know about your diagnoses. A recent essay written by Ina Jaffe underscored this point. “By the way, I have no issue with people who want to keep their cancer diagnosis a secret to the end. If you have the misfortune to have cancer, you get to have it any way you want,” wrote the NPR host.
Contributing: Anne McCarthy
Jaffe wrote of her decision that keeping her cancer diagnosis a secret “served me well.” Doing so meant that she “didn’t have to explain myself to friends and strangers while I was still in the hysterical stage,” she writes. Detailing the mental and emotional toll of her diagnosis, Jaffe says she stopped sleeping and eating, and she cried a lot. “I was grieving for my own life,” she says.
Dealing With Grief After a Cancer Diagnosis Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
