Deion Sanders breaks down stigma around bladder cancer diagnosis: “Let’s stop being ashamed”

University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders got candid about the challenges he went through with his bladder cancer diagnosis, from dealing with a catheter to using adult diapers and more.

In a news conference Monday, Sanders, 57, revealed he is now cancer-free, but didn’t shy away from sharing details on what he called his tremendous and tough journey.

“I’m still dealing with going to the bathroom. It’s a whole life change,” he said. “I’m gonna be transparent. I can’t pee like I used to pee. It’s totally different.”

With a smile, he added he has to “depend on Depend,” referencing the adult diaper brand. 

“I cannot control my bladder, so I get up to go to the bathroom already four or five times a night,” he added. He joked that he’s going through the “same trials and tribulations” as his young grandson. “I’m making a joke out of it, but it’s real. So if you see port-a-potty on the sideline, it’s real. I’m just telling you right now, you’re gonna see it.”

In addition to the changes to his bladder control, he also dropped about 25 pounds throughout the treatment process, which included laparoscopic surgery to remove his bladder and the creation of a new one from other tissue. Sanders said he’s still about 12 pounds below his average weight but feels “strong,” “able” and “ready.”

Sanders said he recognized a lot of other people are going through what he is, and he wanted to send them a special message: “Let’s stop being ashamed of it, and let’s deal with it, and let’s deal with it head-on.”

He also used the opportunity to encourage others to take care of their health and get checkups. 

“Men, everybody, get checked out, because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled up on this,” he said. “Especially African American men, we don’t like going to the doctors. We don’t like nothing to do with a doctor.”

But he added he’s “not just talking to the brothers — I’m talking to my Caucasian brothers, my Hispanic brothers, my Asian brothers, my everybody — and my sisters. Get checked out. Because it could have been a whole other gathering if I hadn’t.”