TV Broadcaster Terry Bradshaw, 74, Walks Daughter Down the Aisle After Two Bouts With Cancer – What to Know About Bladder and Merkel Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer
TV Broadcaster Terry Bradshaw, 74, Walks Daughter Down the Aisle After Two Bouts With Cancer What to Know About Bladder and Merkel Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer
Terry Bradshaw, a 74-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer and analyst for Fox Sports, celebrating his daughter’s wedding after battling bladder cancer and skin cancer.
Bladder cancer develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors. It is highly treatable when caught in the early stages of the disease.
Blood in the urine, or hematuria, is the most common symptom of bladder cancer. One of our experts says the best ways to avoid bladder cancer is to "hydrate well, don't smoke and make sure that you get in to see your physician.”
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer that often develops in older people on your face, head or neck.
TV broadcaster and NFL legend Terry Bradshaw, 74, walked his daughter down the aisle over the weekend, marking a momentous occasion for the loving father who overcame both bladder and skin cancer.
Bradshaw's daughter, Rachel Bradshaw, wedded her "childhood friend" Chase Lybbert at the Denton Country Club in Argyle, Texas, about 40-miles north of Dallas. The newlyweds bypassed traditional rituals and instead opted for a non-traditional wedding.
Hundreds of guests at the wedding had their fill of seafood, bake potatoes and corndogs and instead of a wedding cake, the new couple had a "massive spread of sweets that included cookies, mini carrot cakes and cobblers," People described.
"I didn't want to deal with anything traditional," Rachel Bradshaw, 35, told People. "This is my second wedding, and I was like, 'Let's just have a big party.'”
Rachel Bradshaw previously married former Tennessee Titans player Rob Bironas, who sadly died in a car crash in 2014.
Rachel and Chase Lybbert "fell in love" on June 28, 2021, and got engaged a year later on Oct. 28 of last year. Rachel's proud Hall-of-Fame father reportedly "spilled the engagement news" before Chase formally got down on one knee to propose.
"My dad walked in from the garage, and he goes, 'Guess what, everybody? He just asked for Rachel's hand in marriage, and I said yes! The whole room stopped like everyone was sweating. I wanted to die, and dad was like, 'What, I shouldn't have said anything?' We're like, 'No, you shouldn't have said anything. That's a private conversation," Rachel Bradshaw told Sportskeeda news.
The wedding was quite the celebration for Terry aftering overcoming bouts with bladder cancer and Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer.
Terry Bradshaw's Cancer Battles
Terry Bradshaw, 74, shared details about his battles with two forms of cancer last October. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in November 2021. He underwent surgery and other treatment before being declared cancer-free. Months later, Bradshaw was undergoing an MRI for neck pain when doctors discovered a tumor in the left side of his neck. A biopsy later confirmed it was Merkel cell carcinoma. He underwent surgery, followed by radiation therapy to treat the disease.
During today’s show, Terry Bradshaw shared that he has been battling cancer over the past year. As of today, he is cancer free, and he discussed his fight and plan for the future: pic.twitter.com/RSwVxlXC97
Bradshaw's side effects included swelling in his face from the radiation. The cancer warrior shared a bit of his cancer journey in a Sept. 29, 2022, Facebook Live video.
"This side of my face is partially numb… It's gonna take a while," he said.
A few weeks later, Bradshaw was back on air fulfilling his pre-game hosting duties as an NFL analyst. During the segment, he spoke openly about his cancer journey.
"In November, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I went to the Yale University Medical Center surgery, treatment. As of today, I am bladder cancer-free. Alright, that's the good news," Bradshaw said.
Terry Bradshaw announced during a live broadcast he recently battled bladder cancer (Fox Sports: NFL)
Bradshaw went on to share his skin cancer diagnosis with concerned fans who saw him lose his breath during a television segment a week earlier.
"Folks, I may not look like my old self, but I feel like my old self," he concluded. "I'm cancer-free, I'm feeling great. And over time, I'm going to be back to where I normally am. So I appreciate your prayers and your concern."
Understanding Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is the fourth-most common cancer among men, but women get the disease too. It develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors.
"Bladder cancer is one of those cancers that you don't hear about too often," Dr. Jay Shah, the cancer care program leader for urologic oncology at the Stanford Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
The following are some factors that may increase your risk of developing bladder cancer:
Smoking. Smokers are three times more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than non-smokers.
Chemical exposure. Some chemicals used in dyes, rubber, leather, printing material, textiles and paint products have been linked to risk of this disease.
Hydration. Drinking a lot of fluids each day is associated with lower bladder cancer risks. This is partly due to the fact that people who stay well hydrated empty their bladders more often.
Race. Caucasians are twice as likely to develop this cancer.
Age. The risk of this disease increases as you age.
Sex. Men are diagnosed more often than women.
Personal history. Your risk increases if you or anyone in your family has had bladder cancer.
Signs and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer can often be detected early because the main first sign of the disease is hematuria, or blood appearing in your urine. Bladder cancer is highly treatable when detected early. This blood can change the urine's color to orange, pink and, in some extreme cases, dark red.
In the early stages of bladder cancer, when the tumor is small and cancer cells are confined to the bladder, this bleeding is typically painless. Because of this and the fact that these symptoms can be brief and irregular, some people might not seek out medical help right away. And when there's only small amounts of blood in the urine, you might not even see a noticeable change in color.
WATCH: What Are the Risk Factors for Bladder Cancer?
In addition to blood in your urine, other possible symptoms of this cancer can include:
Needing to urinate more frequently than you typically would
Feeling like you need to urinate urgently even when your bladder isn't full
Waking up to urinate many times throughout a night
Painful urination
Having trouble urinating because of pain or a burning sensation
Frequent urination, urgent urination, and uncomfortable urination are all symptoms of bladder cancer.
Bladder Cancer Stages
Stages for bladder cancer depends on how far the tumor has grown through the bladder wall, whether it has spread and how fast it's growing.
Stage 0a is the earliest stage of bladder cancer where at least one papillary tumor has formed on the inside lining of the bladder.
Stage 0is is where there are flat areas of fast-growing abnormal cells called carcinoma in situ (CIS) on the inside lining of the bladder.
Stage 2 means the tumor has invaded the muscle layer of the bladder wall. The cancer has not spread to lymph nodes or organs far from the bladder.
Stage 3A means the cancer has spread beyond the bladder wall to surrounding tissues or organs. The tumor has not spread to lymph nodes or organs far from the bladder.
In stage 3B the cancer has spread to multiple lymph nodes in the pelvis or in the upper pelvic region. The cancer has not spread to lymph nodes or organs far from the bladder.
Stage 4A indicates the tumor has spread through the bladder wall to the pelvis, abdomen, or nearby lymph nodes.
Stage 4B indicates that the cancer has spread to lymph nodes and organs far from the bladder, like the bones, liver, or lungs. This is distant metastatic bladder cancer.
Intravesical Therapy which means a doctor puts a liquid drug into your bladder through a urinary catheter.
Chemotherapy
Radiation
Targeted Therapy
Immunotherapy.
In an earlier interview, Johns Hopkins medical oncologist Dr. Jeannie Hoffman-Censits explains using immunotherapy for this type of cancer: "Immunotherapy is a really powerful tool that we use in urothelial cancer in all different disease states. There's probably hundreds of clinical trials ongoing really, if you look at it.”
What Is Merkel Cell Carcinoma?
According to Mayo Clinic, Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer that often develops in older people on your face, head or neck.
Merkel cell carcinoma tends to grow fast and spread quickly to other parts of the body.
The tumor may be skin-colored or shades of red, blue or purple and are usually painless.
Merkel Cell Carcinoma Risk Factors and Treatment
Risk factors for Merkel Cell carcinoma include:
Excessive exposure to sunlight or ultraviolent light found in tanning beds
