{"id":4902,"date":"2024-05-23T09:33:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T13:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=4902"},"modified":"2024-05-23T09:33:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T13:33:50","slug":"seinfeld-star-michael-richards-shares-secret-prostate-cancer-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2024\/05\/seinfeld-star-michael-richards-shares-secret-prostate-cancer-battle.html","title":{"rendered":"‘Seinfeld’ Star Michael Richards Shares Secret Prostate Cancer Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Michael Mattes\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michael Richards recently shared that he secretly battled prostate cancer in 2018 and only survived because he decided to undergo a dramatic surgery. The \u201cSeinfeld\u201d star, who played the eccentric Cosmo Kramer, received the stage 1 diagnosis after a checkup showed he had elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.<\/p>\n

He told People <\/em>in an interview<\/a> of receiving the crushing news, \u201cI thought, well, this is my time. I\u2019m ready to go. But then my son came to mind just a few seconds later, and I heard myself saying, \u2018I\u2019ve got a 9-year-old, and I\u2019d like to be around for him. Is there any way I can get a little more life going?\u2019\u201d Richards\u2019 doctor recommended removing the comedian\u2019s entire prostate because the biopsy \u201cdidn\u2019t look good.\u201d The actor explained, \u201cIt had to be contained quickly. I had to go for the full surgery. If I hadn\u2019t, I probably would have been dead in about eight months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having been faced with his mortality, Richards felt inspired to write his forthcoming memoir,\u00a0\u201cEntrances and Exits<\/em>,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0using a surplus of diaries he had kept over the years. \u201cI had over 40 journals I\u2019d kept over the years and wanted to do a full review of my life. I\u2019m turning 75, so maybe wanting to do that is something that comes with being my age. I wanted to connect with feelings and memory,\u201d he told the magazine. \u201cI\u2019m surprised at how much I was able to remember.\u201d The reclusive star, who made his\u00a0first red carpet appearance\u00a0in eight years last month, also will use his memoir to discuss his\u00a0infamous racist tirade\u00a0in 2006 after an audience member heckled him.<\/p>\n