‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star James Pickens Jr shares cancer diagnosis
James Pickens Jr, a star of the long-running TV series Grey’s Anatomy, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Pickens Jr has starred in Grey’s Anatomy since 2005, portraying Dr Richard Webber in more than 400 episodes of the hit medical drama.
The actor shared news of his diagnosis in an interview with Black Health Matters, stating, “It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family. My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it.”
He then conceded, “I would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it.”
Pickens Jr then explained further how prostate cancer has impacted his family, revealing, “I’ve got a 90-year-old first cousin, who’s still alive, actually; he had it. His son has it. A couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it.”
Thankfully, due to Pickens Jr undergoing regular medical check-ups, doctors were able to discover the diagnosis early, and he was referred to a urologist in January.
Pickens Jr then decided to undergo a radical prostatectomy. He explained of the decision, “We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take. I do have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it.”
He also revealed his reasoning to go public was to urge other Black men to get tested due to the prevalence of prostate cancer in the demographic, sharing, “Where we are and how we view the medical community, especially as African American men. We know the history of that, and how far that goes back in terms of our trepidation about being tested, and getting something as simple as a physical.”
The 22nd season of Grey’s Anatomy is currently airing on ABC, with the latest episode, ‘When I Crash’, premiering on November 13th.
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