Terry Bradshaw Details 2 Cancer Battles as New Memoir Nears Oct. 13 Release

Q: What hidden physical agonies did the NFL legend secretly endure off-camera while battling a rare, aggressive cancer?

Terry Bradshaw quietly endured severe side effects from treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma, the rare and aggressive cancer found in his neck. Off camera, Bradshaw said the second cancer was far harder physically than his earlier bladder cancer. After doctors removed 27 lymph nodes in neck surgery and he went through six weeks of radiation, he dealt with facial swelling and numbness, persistent neck pain and soreness, tight skin, and blistering. He also suffered severe neck spasms before the cancer was discovered. The treatment also left him with breathing problems. Bradshaw later explained that surgery bruised a nerve affecting his lung, which reduced his wind and helps explain why he appeared short of breath during a September 2022 segment on FOX NFL Sunday. At the time, viewers did not know he was still recovering from cancer treatment. By contrast, Bradshaw said his bladder cancer treatment mainly left him feeling somewhat sick and uncomfortable, without the same punishing physical aftermath. The hidden agony was tied chiefly to the Merkel cell cancer battle, which combined invasive surgery, lymph-node removal, and radiation with lingering pain, numbness, skin damage, and breathing difficulty.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 6

Bradshaw said on a podcast that surviving bladder cancer and a second Merkel cell cancer forced him to confront death and reshaped his faith, marriage and sense of time left.
The 77-year-old former Steelers quarterback said his first reaction to the 2021 bladder cancer diagnosis was relief that it was considered curable, not panic about dying.
A second diagnosis followed months later, when neck pain led to an MRI that found a Merkel cell tumor; surgery removed 27 lymph nodes and was followed by six weeks of radiation.
Bradshaw said the experience left him less afraid of death and more focused on loving his wife Tammy well, traveling more and living with stronger Christian conviction.
His comments come ahead of the Oct. 13 release of "Looking for Terry," a memoir covering cancer, depression, faith and his public life in football and television.