Former WWE wrestler Bret 'The Hitman' Hart has revealed that he is facing a battle with prostate cancer, in an emotional message to his fans.
Writing on Facebook and Instagram's post yesterday, the 58-year-old Canadian told his followers that he would soon undergo surgery "with the hope of defeating this nemesis once and for all".
It is with great remorse that I feel compelled to speak truthfully to my friends, family and my millions of fans around the world. In the past few years, I've spent more than enough time paying the price for all those years trying to be the best there ever was as a professional wrestler. I executed excellently and my proudest claim was that I never seriously hurt or injured another wrestler in my 23 year career. I've paid a price for all that "fake" wrestling ... Mark Helprin wrote: "We are all perfect clocks that Divinity has set to ticking when, even before birth, the heart explodes into a lifelong dance." I've had a great lifelong dance and I'm a survivor of many hard battles. I now face my toughest battle. With hesitation and fear, I openly declare myself in my fight against prostate cancer. In the next few days, I will undergo surgery with the hope of defeating this nemesis once and for all. My fans have always looked upon me as a hero and I've always done my best to live up to that in and out of the ring. I beat the odds when I suffered my stroke in 2002, but it is now yet again, that I ... stand unafraid and face the tough road ahead of me, I will march toward this destiny with his spirit chanting in my ear. I make a solemn vow to all of those that once believed in me, the dead and the living, that I will wage my fearsome fight against cancer with one shield and one sword carrying my determination and my fury for life, emboldened by all the love that's kept me going this long already. Love is my weapon and I've got much of it around me all the time, for which I'm truly blessed and eternally grateful. My children, grandchildren, and my loving wife Steph have been and will constantly be at my side. I refuse to lose, I will never give in or give up, and I will win this battle or die trying. Most important of all, I hope can take the fight to prostate cancer. To be a leader in awareness and to set the example for men everywhere who find themselves in my very same shoes, that prostate cancer can be beaten. B x
"I've had a great lifelong dance and I'm a survivor of many hard battles," said the WWE Hall of Famer. "I now face my toughest battle. With hesitation and fear, I openly declare myself in my fight against prostate cancer.
"I make a solemn vow to all of those that once believed in me, the dead and the living," he continued, in the 500 word post. "I will wage my fearsome fight against cancer with one shield and one sword carrying my determination and my fury for life, emboldened by all the love that's kept me going this long already."
Hart's diagnosis is the latest in a long line of physical issues to befall the star. In 2002, he suffered a stroke that temporarily left him in a wheelchair. He has also undergone two knee replacements, two hernia operations, surgery on his right elbow, and a four-corner fusion of his right wrist that, he says, "makes it difficult to write or type".
The Canadian superstar made his wrestling debut in 1978 and remained active on the circuit until 1999, when he suffered multiple concussions during a match against Bill Goldberg. Since then he has made irregular appearances as a ringside figure at events.
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