Remembering Wrestling Icon ‘Sid Vicious,’ Real Name Was Sid Euny; A ‘Legacy of Strength & Determination’

In the wake of his death, his son Gunner took to Facebook to share sweet memories of his dad with his grandchildren, writing, “He was known as Psycho Sid Vicious to the world, but to our family, he was simply ‘Popper,’ the beloved grandfather.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Treatment

“Sid was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2016 and atrial fibrillation (better known as AFIB) around the same time. He was also given a pacemaker. In April 2021, he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which was linked to roundup weed killer.”

It’s important to note that multiple studies have suggested weed killers like Roundup aren’t safe, but the government hasn’t enforced more strict regulations on it, as it’s difficult for scientists to prove that any chemical is absolutely harmful or carcinogenic.

RELATED: Could Weed Killer or Radiation Exposure Increase Your Risk for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

The heartfelt post continued, “Although he never told anyone about his fight against cancer, Sid lived his life to the fullest, attending the gym, boxing classes, making appearances for his fans, and of course t-ball games for the kids.

“He passed away peacefully in his bed, leaving behind a legacy of strength and determination. I’ve never met anyone with a fraction of the strength as my father he truly was one of a kind.”

“Thanks everyone for the uplifting words and love we definitely feel it we have received thousands of messages and are grateful for everyone of them. I don’t have time to reply but I have read them all thank you thank you thank you,” Euny’s son concluded.

One fan of Euny’s praised the post, writing, “My childhood was pretty rough but having a hero like your dad to look up to sure did make it a lot easier. Not just because of wrestling but how much I could tell he loved his family. A man’s man, no doubt. I wish there were more like him.”

Another commented, “Your dad was a big part of my childhood, main evented the first WrestleMania I went to as a kid, and I’m glad I got the pleasure of meeting him the one time that I did. Sorry for your loss.”

The six-foot-nine wrestler and dad of two, rose to fame in the 1990s and ended his career in 2017, not long after breaking his leg during a fight.

Euny signed on with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989 and wrestled with The Steiner Brothers, The Road Warriors and The Four Horseman.

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A post shared by Sid Eudy (@sychosidvicious)

The WWE looked back on Euny’s career with a tribute article, writing, “Debuting as Sid Justice in WWE, he served as the Special Guest Referee at SummerSlam 1991, where WWE Champion Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior teamed up against The Triangle of Terror in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match. That very same night, Sid saved Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth from an attack at the evil hands of Jake Roberts and The Undertaker at the couple’s newlywed reception.

“After a few years away from WWE, Sid made his triumphant return as ‘Sycho Sid,’ where he allied himself with Shawn Michaels and was in his corner at WrestleMania XI when The Heartbreak Kid challenged Diesel for the WWE Title. That night would begin an iconic rivalry between the two with Sid winning the WWE Championship from The Showstopper at Survivor Series in 1996 and joined the hallowed ranks of champions. After losing the title back to Michaels, Sid became a two-time champion by defeating Bret Hart on the Feb. 17, 1997 edition of Raw.”

Recounting how he was dubbed “The Master and Ruler of the World,” the WWE continued, “Sid’s reputation as one of the toughest and most thrilling Superstars cemented his legacy in WWE, and his influence can still be seen in wrestling rings around the world.”

Why Mindset Is Important Through Cancer Treatment

Numerous experts have told SurvivorNet that mindset and optimism, like Euny had, can help patients tremendously throughout treatment. By feeling supported and remaining positive, it encourages people to keep fighting throughout the experience.

“We call it ‘eye of the tiger,'” says Dr. Sid Ganguly, Deputy Director of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “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.”

Dr. Sid Ganguly Explains How A Positive Mindset Can Help Patients Through Cancer Treatment

The “eye of the tiger” mindset includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, and most importantly a positive attitude. For those whose minds are overcome with thoughts and emotions, Dr. Ganguly says meditation can be a valuable resource in order to clear their minds.

Understanding Lymphoma

Sid Euny battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the two most common types of lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.

RELATED: Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis

“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she added, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”

Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.

There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.

Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk

It should be noted that another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.

These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it’s important for you to know which type you have.

Can Weed Killer Lead To Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

A chemical called glyphosphate is the active ingredient in Roundup and certain other weed killers. In 2015, the World Health Organization classified glyphosphate as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” Juries have since awarded millions of dollars to people who claimed these products caused their cancer. In 2019, a jury in California awarded $80 million to a man who said Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 

RELATED: Does Weed Killer Cause Cancer? We Don’t Know, But Buy Organic to Be Safe 

Studies have been investigating whether weedkillers cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but so far they haven’t proven a link. “The way we need to study that is through a large epidemiologic study looking at people who were exposed versus people who weren’t and whether or not they developed lymphoma. But that data currently doesn’t exist,” Dr. Elise Chong, oncologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, previously told SurvivorNet.

Thankfully, it’s possible to reduce your exposure to chemicals, including weed killers and pesticides.

Try to avoid using these products at home, and if you do need to use them at work, take precautions. “Wear whatever protective equipment you have available … thick gloves, a mask, goggles when spraying,” says Dr. Chong.

“I think that that’s certainly healthier overall, even if we haven’t directly shown that that increases your risk of developing lymphoma.”

Treating non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

When you’re diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the first things your doctor will want to know is your type. In Euny’s case, he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which was reportedly “linked to roundup weed killer.”

It’s important to understand that non-Hodgkin lymphoma comes in a few different subtypes. Knowing which one of these you have can help steer you to the most appropriate treatment for you.

One way doctors divide up these cancers is based on how fast they’re likely to grow and spread. “The two main classifications I think of in terms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are lymphomas that are more indolent and those that are more aggressive, because those are treated very differently,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.

Indolent lymphomas grow slowly and often don’t cause any symptoms, so they may not need immediate treatment. At the opposite end of the spectrum are aggressive lymphomas, which grow and spread quickly and need to be treated right away.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment: Finding the Right Fit for You

B-Cell or T-Cell?

Another way to classify non-Hodgkin lymphoma is based on the type of cell it affects. All of these cancers involve lymphocytes — white blood cells that help your immune system fight off germs and get rid of abnormal cells.

Lymphocytes come in two types: B-cells and T-cell. If you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma, there’s a good chance you have the B-cell variety because of how common it is.

From there, non-Hodgkin lymphomas are broken down into even more categories. Some affect larger numbers of people than others. “Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and that is an aggressive subtype,” according to Dr. Crombie.

As for which treatment will work best against your specific type of cancer, once the work of determining your type of cancer is finished, your doctor can focus on the next important step — how to treat you. If you have an indolent cancer and you don’t have any bothersome symptoms, you may not need treatment right away, Dr. Crombie says.

What Does It Mean to Have Advanced-Stage Lymphoma?

If your cancer is more aggressive, whether it’s T-cell or B-cell, you can expect to get chemotherapy. Chemo may be part of a cocktail of drugs that are given in combination. These drugs work synergistically, going after your cancer in different ways to treat it more effectively.

Sometimes radiation therapy is used together with chemotherapy. Radiation uses high-energy x-rays to eliminate cancer cells. The radiation typically given for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is delivered from a machine outside the body, which is called external beam radiation.

One more thing your doctor will want to investigate is your cancer’s genetic makeup. Using a sample of your cancer cells taken during a biopsy, your doctor will test for genetic mutations and other abnormalities.

In some people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, genes have swapped places, which doctors refer to as translocations. C-MYC, BCL2, or BCL6 are three common translocations. Having one of them could affect how your cancer spreads, and how well you might do in the future. Translocations can also change the course of your treatment.

“If patients have those translocations, sometimes we give a slightly different version of chemotherapy,” Dr. Crombie tells SurvivorNet.

Dealing With Treatment Side Effects

Most people handle R-CHOP, the standard chemotherapy cocktail that’s given for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma), pretty well, but everyone is different. A few side effects, like fatigue, nausea, and low blood cell counts, tend to pop up more often with these drugs. There are also a few rare but serious side effects, including bladder damage, heart damage, and nerve damage.

RELATED: Keytruda Extends Life for Those Fighting Hodgkin Lymphoma & It’s Now FDA-Approved as Treatment

Your doctor will do everything possible to keep you comfortable and ease your side effects while you’re being treated, but you need to be open about how you’re feeling. Doctors can often treat side effects or make adjustments to the chemotherapy drug doses as needed.

“We tell patients to make sure they let us know if they’re having any of those symptoms,” Dr. Crombie says. A fever is especially important to note, because it could be a sign that you have an infection, which needs to be treated right away.

The best treatment choice for someone with non-Hodgkin lymphoma depends largely on the type of lymphoma they have and the stage of the disease. One of the most effective regimens available for aggressive B-cell lymphoma is a drug combination called R-CHOP.

Dr. Adrienne Phillips explains how the chemotherapy combination R-CHOP works.

“R-CHOP has been a standard treatment regimen for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the B-cell subtype for many years,” Dr. Adrienne Phillips, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

“There are clinical trials looking to improve upon that standard by adding or removing medications to improve outcomes or minimize toxicity, but R-CHOP is still the standard of care for aggressive B-cell lymphomas.”

Here’s how the acronym breaks down:

• R:  Rituximab (Rituxan) is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a specific protein called CD20, which sits on the surface of B cells. It targets the
  cancerous cells and destroys them.
• C: Cyclophosphamide is a type of chemotherapy drug
• H: Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
• O: Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
• P: Prednisone is a steroid, which lowers inflammation

In most cases, doctors deliver this regimen in cycles spaced three weeks apart to help minimize side effects and give patients time between treatment cycles. The number of cycles can range from 3 to 6, depending on the stage of the cancer.

If this treatment combination does not work, doctors may try a new approach, like a different kind of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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