Most recently, the head football coach for the University of Colorado-Boulder told the world that his latest health crisis was bladder cancer. Now cured, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders is encouraging people to get annual physicals and to remove the stigmatize attached to incontinence.
“I am on assignment and in alignment with where I am supposed to be,” he said during the press conference where he, his oncologist and a Colorado colleague detailed his diagnosis, surgery and challenging recovery.
Sanders did not have any symptoms indicating he was sick. You can read about how doctor’s found a tumor on his bladder here. Within a month of that discovery, Sanders chose to have his bladder removed. He has a neobladder constructed from part of his small intestine. One of the risks of that replacement bladder is incontinence, and Sanders joked repeatedly about his struggles and the lifestyle changes.
His housekeeper needed to change his sheets regularly, and when he awakened from naps, he said he was anxious.
“It’s real,” said Sanders. “Like dozing off and then waking up, and first thing, I am grabbing my crotch to see if I peed on myself.”
He quipped about him and his infant grandson having an unofficial contest about who fills a bag with the most diapers overnight.
“I depend on Depends,” he said about the adult incontinence garment. “I truly depend on Depends. I cannot control my bladder…I’m making a joke out of it, but it’s real. If you see a porta-potty on the sideline, it’s real.”
“I know its a lot of people going through what I am going through and dealing with what I am dealing with,” the coach said. “Let’s stop being ashamed of it, and let’s deal with it head-on.”
