Terrible news that shakes the world of video games. American streamer Ninja announced to his community this Thursday that he had skin cancer. The one who stood out thanks to his live broadcasts of the game Fortnite on Twitch published a long message on X (formerly Twitter) in which he explains under what circumstances the disease was detected.
“There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that the doctors wanted to remove just as a precaution. It turned out to be melanoma, but they are optimistic because we detected it at an early stage,” Ninja, whose real name is Tyler Blevins, explained in his post.
Alright I'm still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated. A few weeks ago I went in to a dermatologist for an annual skin/mole check that Jess proactively scheduled for me. There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful. It…
— Ninja (@Ninja) March 26, 2024
Another dark spot then appeared near the first mole. This is why a biopsy was performed: a larger area around the melanoma was thus removed. The 32-year-old is now waiting for the results.
The streamer, who has no less than 19 million subscribers on Twitch, admits to being "a little in shock", saying at the same time "grateful" that the cancer cells were detected quite early.
Also readMelanomas: “Preconceived ideas about skin cancers die hard”
The National Health Service (NHS), the British public health system, recalls that melanoma is “a form of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body. This disease, particularly caused by the ultraviolet rays of the sun, “is most often manifested by the appearance of a dark brown or black spot on the skin”, reports Ameli, the Health Insurance website.
Skin cancers “could constitute the most common cancer in France”, indicates Public Health France. Between 141,200 and 243,500 cases are in fact diagnosed each year in the country.