Retired NBA star Dwyane Wade revealed he had 40% of his kidney removed after doctors found reason for concern.
The 43-year-old said he went to the doctor to investigate stomach issues and slow urination, and was shocked when doctors told him he required surgery. He spoke about his medical ordeal for the first time in Thursday’s episode of his podcast, “The Why with Dwyane Wade,” and told listeners he underwent surgery Dec. 18, 2023.
“‘Why is my piss coming out slow, why is my stream ain’t powerful? Why is it a little weak?’” Wade asked, explaining why he decided to visit a doctor.
“The doctor was like, you need to have kidney surgery,” Wade told co-host Bob Metelus.
Wade said it was his right kidney that was affected.
He said doctors found “a cyst, a tumor but it was not nothing that could be biopsied, it was not something they could test until they went in – surgically removed it,” he said on the podcast.
“At this moment right there I mean obviously I have a decision to make.”
“I made a decision to have surgery,” Wade said.
Doctors determined the tumor was cancerous.
“So I have one kidney, and one that is 60% – they took 40% of my kidney,” Wade said.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 5: Former NBA player Dwyane Wade walks the sideline before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on January 5, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
The retired athlete reflected on his medical experience and how it changed the course of his life.
“My own journey to have that surgery, I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” Wade said.
Wade expressed the vulnerability he experienced through this ordeal.
“That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life. The moment I was by myself, I was struggling, dog. I was struggling.”
“As a man, you never want your family to see you weak,” he said. “Don’t want to be perceived weak, don’t want to be seen in your weakest moments.”
He credited his loved ones for supporting him through this difficult experience.
“I found strength in my family, in my friends, in my group,” he said.
Wade admitted he has a renewed perspective of life. (RELATED: Lili Reinhart Reveals Shocking Health Battle With ‘Mysterious’ Illness)
He recalled the moments just before surgery.
“If the Lord bring me out of this, I’m gonna do things differently,” he recalls promising himself. “I came out of that and I’ve been doing things differently.”
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
