ABC News correspondent Will Reeve announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this year. He has successfully completed treatment following early detection, surgeries, and chemotherapy.
Reeve, 34, first noticed a lump in his left testicle in April, just months after marrying his wife, Amanda Dubin, in January 2026. Prompted by his wife’s encouragement, he sought a medical evaluation. Subsequent physical examinations and an ultrasound revealed a mass in the testicle, leading doctors to recommend an immediate surgical removal.
Surgeries and Aggressive Pathological Diagnosis
In early May, Reeve underwent a procedure called an orchiectomy to remove the affected testicle. Pathology reports confirmed that the mass was an embryonal carcinoma, an aggressive subtype of testicular cancer that typically impacts younger to middle-aged adults.
To prevent the cancer from spreading, Reeve underwent a second, complex operation in June. Surgeons performed a six-hour retroperitoneal lymph node dissection at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, removing dozens of lymph nodes from his abdomen.
Because tests showed that some of the removed lymph nodes were cancerous, Reeve chose to undergo two cycles of chemotherapy. This treatment reduced the statistical odds of the cancer returning to nearly 1%.
Chemotherapy and Recovery Journey
In early July, Reeve began his chemotherapy treatments with his wife by his side. Treatment days involved nine-hour stints at Memorial Sloan Kettering, consisting of two hours of chemotherapy infusion paired with seven hours of cold capping-a specialized technique used to help prevent hair loss.
During the two-week recovery periods between his sessions, Reeve experienced intense side effects. These included bone pain, ringing in the ears, night sweats, blood clots, and persistent headaches. Despite the physical toll, he reached a major milestone at the end of July by ringing the ceremonial bell at Sloan Kettering to mark the successful conclusion of his treatment.
Reeve noted that the experience brought back memories of his late father, actor Christopher Reeve, and his late mother, Dana Reeve. His mother passed away from lung cancer at age 44 in March 2006 after also receiving treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He reflected that cold capping served as an emotional anchor during his own care.
"I remember with my mom, when she got sick 20 years ago, I didn’t really know that she was sick until she lost her hair," Reeve shared during his broadcast appearance. "And I think anyone who has cancer or loves someone with cancer, that’s sort of a tipping point when you know, oh man, this is real."
Raising Awareness and Family Planning
Following his diagnosis, a primary concern for Reeve and his wife was how the treatments would impact their long-term family planning. Fortunately, proactive medical steps taken prior to his treatments ensured that the couple can still have biological children in the future through in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
"We really want to be parents, and the great joy is that we are going to be able to have children, our own children," Reeve stated.
By going public with his medical journey, Reeve hopes to dismantle the stigma surrounding men’s health issues and encourage proactive self-examinations.
"I want folks to know that this is a thing that can happen. It’s shocking. It’s weird," Reeve said. "It’s slightly awkward to talk about just because of what we’re really discussing here, but that you end up okay, almost always."
Testicular Cancer Overview
Testicular cancer is characterized by abnormal cell growth in the tissues of one or both testicles. Medical experts divide the disease into two main categories: seminomas, which tend to develop more commonly in older adults, and nonseminomas-such as embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, and teratoma-which grow faster and typically affect younger individuals.
According to major health institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, testicular cancer boasts an exceptionally high five-year survival rate of approximately 95% when caught early. Standard medical interventions usually include surgical removal of the affected testicle, followed by surveillance, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, or adjuvant chemotherapy depending on staging and pathology.
