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On March 27, 2024, Twitch star Tyler "Ninja" took to his official account on X to give a health update. The content creator disclosed he went to a dermatologist for an annual checkup a few weeks ago. He stated that he had a mole on the bottom of his foot that the doctors wanted to remove as a precaution. Claiming he was still shocked about the circumstances, Tyler wrote:
"Alright, I'm still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated. A few weeks ago I went in to a dermatologist for an annual skin/mole check that Jess (Jessica Blevins, Ninja's wife) proactively scheduled for me. There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful."
Ninja then revealed that he had been diagnosed with early-stage melanoma, a type of skin cancer. He elaborated:
"It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages."
The 32-year-old also stated that he noticed another "dark spot." He added that the doctors performed a biopsy and removed "a larger area" surrounding the melanoma. Ninja wrote:
"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."
While expressing gratitude for detecting melanoma in its early stages, the former Mixer streamer urged the community to get skin checkups. He said:
"I'm grateful to have hope in finding this early, but please take this as a PSA to get skin checkups."
What is melanoma? Ninja reveals getting diagnosed with early stages of skin cancer
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, melanoma is the "most serious" type of skin cancer because it can spread to other parts of the body. However, early detection allows it to be "highly treatable" before it spreads.
An excerpt from the American Academy of Dermatology's website reads:
"Although melanoma is an aggressive cancer, it's possible to have a good outcome. When found early before it grows deep or spreads, melanoma is highly treatable."
It continued:
"The key to finding melanoma early is to perform skin self-exams so that you can check your own skin for signs of this skin cancer. Treating melanoma early can prevent complex and difficult treatment that would be necessary if the cancer grows deep or spreads."
Ninja is one of the most recognizable figures in the livestreaming industry, having joined Twitch in 2011. While he is best known for playing Fortnite, the Detroit, Michigan native has played over 70 games on his channel, including PUBG, Z1: Battle Royale, Valorant, League of Legends, and Final Fantasy XI.
