Ken McNickle Details 1-Year Delay Before Cancer Diagnosis, Citing Men’s Health Stigma
Updated
Updated · Us Weekly · Jun 4
Ken McNickle Details 1-Year Delay Before Cancer Diagnosis, Citing Men’s Health Stigma
3 articles · Updated · Us Weekly · Jun 4
Summary
43-year-old Ken McNickle said he waited nearly a year to seek care before doctors diagnosed him with cancer, after symptoms worsened to a three-inch hole in his chest.
In an Instagram video, the Survivor season 33 runner-up described blood in his stool, skin tearing open and a growing testicular lump, saying earlier treatment could have meant a simple procedure.
McNickle linked the delay to messages from childhood telling him to “be a man,” arguing that stigma keeps men from seeking help for physical and emotional problems.
He urged people not to ignore health concerns, saying men are 50% less likely to see a doctor for physical ailments and 60% less likely to seek mental-health support.
McNickle, who finished second to Adam Klein in 2016’s Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, has not disclosed what type of cancer he has.