I Just Came Out as Someone Who Is Living with Cancer

It was as scary as coming out as gay more than 30 years ago — and equally empowering.

Jeremy Helligar
7 min readOct 29, 2023
Photo: Jayden Malady

On April 5 of this year, I received some news that has been life-altering in so many ways, some of which I am still in the process of processing. I was diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer. Don't worry. It was caught very very early, and my prognosis is excellent. I am fine—as you can see in the pic my husband took last week of me with our Yorkie, Chip. I'm going to be fine. Despite the psychological effect of my diagnosis, there have been no physical ramifications. I'm incredibly lucky.

I wasn’t planning on sharing this publicly, but after nearly seven months, I’ve realized that by doing so, I might be of service to someone who feels alone in their own cancer journey or someone who thinks it can’t happen to them. I haven’t told many people about my diagnosis, but the support I’ve received has been immensely helpful. I’m especially grateful for the support of people who have gone through/are going through similar challenges.

In the spirit of being preemptively supportive, I wanted to take the opportunity to underscore how important it is to be vigilant about your health and to listen to your body. If you are a man over age 40, don't slack off on your annual

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Jeremy Helligar

Brother Son Husband Friend Loner Minimalist World Traveler. Author of “Is It True What They Say About Black Men?” and “Storms in Africa” https://rb.gy/3mthoj