Former All My Children star Colin Egglesfield (ex-Josh Madden) is opening up about a super scary health issue he faced just as his career was starting to take off thirteen years ago: he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The actor, who is now cancer-free, tells Fox News that he learned of the diagnosis in 2006, just months after he landed his role on the ABC soap opera, and he actually had to undergo radiation treatments during tape breaks. At the time, he was uncomfortable talking about what he was going through, but now he wants to inspire others who may be facing similar health crises.
"It's not something that men normally like to talk about, and for the longest time, I didn't want to talk about it because it's something very personal," Egglesfield shares. "I just noticed that my left testicle had swelled up, and I went to see the doctor and he said that we needed to do some tests, ultrasound, a blood test. And they discovered that it was at a pretty advanced stage, and did the surgery and found that some of the cancer cells had gone through the veins and arteries to the kidneys."
A year after initially learning he had testicular cancer, Egglesfield was dismayed to learn that the cancer had spread to his other testicle, despite going through surgery to remove it. He was lucky to recover, and the experience has spurred him to volunteer with St. Jude's Children's Hospital as well as to write his new book, "Agile Artist: Life Lessons from Hollywood and Beyond," which was released in June.
"[My cancer scare] was thirteen years ago, so thankfully I am cancer-free," he tells Fox News. "I feel like at this point in my life, it made sense to put it down on paper... and so far, the response has been really great."
Egglesfield landed his breakout role on AMC, which he played from 2005 to 2009 before going on to shows like Melrose Place, The Client List, Rizzoli & Isles, and Chicago Fire. In addition to acting, he also runs his own New York City-based clothing company Shout Out Clothing!, which he principally uses as a vehicle to promote and support educational initiatives such as Project Grad and other "Stay in School" programs. But that's not all of the good work and charity that Egglesfield is currently putting his energy toward. He's also volunteering for Project Osmosis, a non-profit that helps bring inner city children arts programs. In fact, Egglesfield is happy to share that ten percent of the proceeds of "Agile Artist: Life Lessons from Hollywood and Beyond" will go toward Project Osmosis.
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