YOUTUBER Joey Graceffa has been diagnosed with cancer and is in the process of weighing treatment options.
Joey, 33, shared the news on his TikTok on Thursday in a nearly four-minute-long video.
“So, I have skin cancer,” he said.
Joey was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma after having a red mark on his nose for two years.
He shared that he got a biopsy done and is “currently now exploring my options of how to take care of it.”
Joey said his doctor suggested getting Mohs surgery, which involves cutting a hole into his nose to remove the cancer.
He is also considering radiation and natural treatments.
“I’m not freaking out like maybe I should be. I don’t know. I’m being very level-headed about this, I think because it’s a more treatable type of skin cancer,” he went on.
‘LITERALLY PASSED OUT’
Joey said that two dermatologists told him it was a broken blood vessel.
However, he noticed it was scabbing over, so he went back and they suggested a biopsy, which revealed the cancer.
“I literally passed out in the chair when the biopsy happened. Not because it hurt or anything, but because I am so queasy when it comes to gore or anything blood-related,” Joey said.
“I have a very vivid imagination and I was just imagining what it looked like and I passed out.”
How to reverse sun-damaged skin
“When I woke up, they had a Capri Sun and gummy bears for me,” he laughed.
Joey shared that after the doctors told him his options and she explained Mohs surgery to him, he was “passing out on the phone.”
The surgery would take about 45 minutes.
OTHER OPTIONS
The YouTuber said that he is looking into natural treatments including castor oil, aloe vera, and bloodroot.
What Is Basal cell carcinoma?
Basal Cell Carcinoma is a type of skin cancer. It begins in the basal cell, which is a cell within the skin that produces new skin cells as old ones die off
- Basal Cell Carcinoma usually begins as a skin-colored or pink bump on the skin
- The cancer occurs most often in areas that are exposed to the sun
- Basal Cell Carcinoma is thought to be caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight
- Doctors suggest using sunscreen and avoiding the sun to prevent getting it
- If a growth of sore won’t heal, it is best to get it checked out
- Sometimes the bump can become scaly or scab over
“That one seems scary because it actually burns and can also leave a hole,” Joey said.
“But apparently it can kill it quickly.”
But, Joey said he is highly considering a special form of radiation that just treats skin cancer.
“Let’s get rid of this,” he ended.
WHO IS JOEY?
Joey is a YouTuber, vlogger, actor, author, and producer.
He has four active YouTube channels, all named after him.
The influencer has two channels for vlogging, one for video game content, and one for a reaction channel.
Together, his channels have nearly 3 billion views.
Joey was a contestant on Seasons 22 and 24 of The Amazing Race.
He has also been in short films and created a web series called Escape the Night with other YouTubers.
Joey has released a handful of songs and has won two Streamy Awards.
He is also the author of a Young Adult novel called The Children of Eden.
