Gabrielle Union is opening up for the first time about her husband Dwyane Wade’s cancer diagnosis and the profound impact it had on their family.
In a January 30 episode of his podcast, The Why With Dwyane Wade, the 43-year-old former NBA star revealed that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Wade shared that a surgery in December 2023 resulted in doctors removing 40% of his kidney.
During an appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Friends on February 26, Union explained how challenging the year of Wade’s diagnosis was for their family.
“The year he was diagnosed was very hard for us,” Union shared. “Obviously, him getting that diagnosis was traumatic for him. To face your own mortality in your early 40s makes you question, ‘Am I going to be here for my family? Who am I without this big life? Without this healthy body?’”
Union further expressed how the journey of Wade’s diagnosis affected their marriage and family dynamics. “You don’t fully understand the toll it takes on your marriage, your family, and your kids,” she added.
Union noted that Wade was initially “a little more hesitant” to share his healing journey with his family, as he grappled with his vulnerability. “It was a challenge to give grace and receive it,” she reflected. “He needed us to be OK with his vulnerability, but more importantly, he needed to be OK with it himself.”
On his podcast, Wade revealed that a routine checkup, during which he mentioned minor health concerns like stomach discomfort and a weakened urine stream, led doctors to discover a tumor on his right kidney. “I didn’t go in for my kidneys,” Wade explained. “But because I did the full-body scan, they found something.”
Wade admitted that he hadn’t been keeping up with regular medical exams since his retirement from the NBA in 2019. However, after seeing his father undergo surgery, he decided to undergo the full-body exam. That decision proved to be life-saving when doctors found the tumor.
Because the mass couldn’t be biopsied, Wade underwent surgery on December 18, 2023, to confirm the presence of cancer. “Thank God I did the surgery,” Wade said, expressing his relief. “Because the tumor was cancerous.”
Keywords: Dwyane Wade cancer diagnosis, Gabrielle Union, kidney cancer, family impact, NBA, full-body scan, surgery, health journey, vulnerability, marriage, emotional struggle.
