Roman Reign’s battle with leukemia, beating of the disease into submission, and all the details that go along with both are still a hot topic among WWE fans and people who write about sports-entertainment on the Internet.
In an interview with the LA Times, Roman opened up about the difficulty of making a surprising announcement like that on live television, when even the people he works with didn’t know it was coming.
“I was overwhelmed. I felt just so reassured that I wasn’t alone,” said Reigns. “When you are holding a secret for so long you feel like you are trapped on an island with nobody to connect to, with nobody to kind of take that weight off your shoulders. But to receive that type of support, that type of positive reinforcement. I was overwhelmed. It felt really good.”
He also, importantly, discussed the affect a vocal minority of skeptics on the Internet questioning the validity of his diagnosis and treatment has on his real life and family, and his most important priorities in light of them.
“I’ve been with my wife since college, so she has been through this whole process with me. My big concern was my daughter, who is 11. So she’s right at that age where she’s hearing all those misguided opinions and hearing different things from different people. I thought that as long as she hears it from me, ‘This is what is going on with Dad, and I don’t want you to worry,’ that she would be OK. And she’s been great.”
In case you’d forgotten, Roman has already shown that he’s a pretty awesome dad:
“If anyone is struggling, I hope they can look at me and know that I am no different than them,” said Reigns. “I hope they can look at me and see that light. ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ And that after they get through this rough patch, that there is a beautiful light that surrounds you and helps you appreciate life and those around you so much more. That they aren’t alone and that many of us know what they are going through. Take strength from me, take strength from your friends and family.”
It continues to be great to see Reigns not only beat cancer into remission, but to turn such a negative into a positive and move forward with this kind of enthusiasm for understanding and helping others. Hopefully the conspiracy theorists among us will continue to be overshadowed and ignored.
