Deion Sanders spent the better part of the spring and summer recovering from a bladder tumor, though he didn’t initially explain the reasons for his absence from Boulder. He was away from the public eye, but it didn’t mean that the recovery process wasn’t documented for posterity.
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A few pictures were made public on Friday through Deiondra Sanders’ son, Snow’s, Instagram account, showing Deion Sanders’ only grandchild accompanying him during his recovery process at his Canton, Texas, property. The photos show Snow spending time with his grandfather, and in several of them, Coach Prime can be seen wearing what seems to be a collection bag coming out of his bladder.
Sanders’ tumor removal surgery was made public on Monday, when the coach, alongside several personnel from the University of Colorado, and Dr. Janet Kukreja, the specialist who operated on him, explained the diagnosis and removal process.
According to the Buffaloes’ assistant athletic trainer, Lauren Askevold, the issue was discovered in the CT scans performed regularly on the 57-year-old due to his circulation and blood clot issues. Deion Sanders has had a couple of toes removed from his left foot in recent years due to circulation issues.
Deion Sanders’ message for other men regarding cancer
Deion Sanders is now open about his condition. In his press conference, he let it be known that going to the bathroom is now a completely different experience for him than it was before the surgery.
“I’m still dealing with going to the bathroom. It’s a whole life change,” he said (via CBS Sports). “I’m gonna be transparent. I can’t pee like I used to pee. It’s totally different. I’m making a joke out of it, but it’s real. So if you see a port-a-potty on the sideline, it’s real. I’m just telling you right now, you’re gonna see it.”
Deion Sanders also called on men of every age group to keep an eye on cancer and not neglect testing for the condition.
“Men, everybody, get checked out, because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled upon this,” he said. “Especially African American men, we don’t like going to the doctors. We don’t like nothing to do with a doctor.”
The survival rate for bladder cancer is 71%, according to the National Cancer Institute.
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