Popular YouTuber Tyler Blevins has recently opened up about his heartbreaking cancer diagnosis.
Blevins, better known by his online persona "Ninja", originally rose to fame as a gamer on Twitch where he quickly gained a massive fanbase due to his highly skilled gameplay and entertaining personality.
Initially, he started on games like Halo, before venturing on to Fortnight, which became his main focus as his career progressed.
After cementing himself as one of the best players in the game, Ninja expanded his videos to include collaborations with celebrities and athletes, before securing deals with Red Bull, Adidas, and Samsung amongst a handful of other major businesses.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, the 32-year-old has taken to X - formerly known now Twitter - to reveal that he has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
"Alright I'm still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated," he said in the tweet posted Tuesday (March 26). "A few weeks ago I went in to a dermatologist for an annual skin/mole check that Jess proactively scheduled for me."
"There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful," he continued, stating that the results indicated that it was a melanoma - the third most common type of skin cancer.
"...They are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages. I had another dark spot appear near it, so today they biopsied that and removed a larger area around the melanoma with the hopes that under the microscope they will see clear non-melanoma edges and we will know we got it," he said, before adding: "I'm grateful to have hope in finding this early, but please take this as a PSA to get skin checkups."
Of course, friends and fans alike took to the comments to wish the influencer well during his battle with the disease.
Fellow gamer and streamer SypherPK wrote: "Hoping for the best. Lots of love to Jess for being proactive as well," while Jack Dunlop, also known as CouRage on Youtube, also added: "Love you brother. Praying for you."
Nick Eh, who is also a popular figure in the gaming community, told Ninja he was "sending the best vibes" his way, and Pluto V2 also responded to the post saying: "Praying for you Tyler. [Well done] Jess for making that get looked at."
Another streamer, DansGaming, recalled his personal experiences writing: "Glad you caught it early! This very procedure would have saved my mom's life if they caught it early enough."
Fans also chimed in to wish the star well.
"Holy s*** I’m glad you potentially caught it early. Wishing the best for you," wrote this user.
"Thank god you found it so early on. Wishing you health and happiness, Tyler," another fan added.
According to the Mayo Clinic, melanoma typically starts on skin that's often exposed to the sun. This includes the skin on the arms, back, face and legs, though it can also form in other areas such as the eyes and under fingernails.
While the risk of melanoma seems to be increasing in people under 40, especially women, there are many preventative things one can do to such as go for regular checks with a professional when you notice a new mole, and stay away from things such as UV lights and tanning beds.
We wish Blevins' a speedy recovery.
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