YouTuber Joey Graceffa has announced that he has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Graceffa, who has more than nine million subscribers on YouTube, shared this news on social media yesterday (August 8) to inform his supporters.
“So I have skin cancer, um, that’s fun. No it’s not fun at all actually, you can see it right there on my nose. It looks really crazy right now because I had to get a biopsy done to determine that it was skin cancer,” he stated.
Graceffa explained that the red mark on his nose had been present for the last 18 months to two years, initially thought to be a broken blood vessel.
When the area started ‘scabbing over,’ he revisited a dermatologist who recommended a biopsy.
“I literally passed out in the chair when the biopsy happened,” added Graceffa. “Not because it hurt or anything but just because I am so queasy when it comes to anything gore or blood related.”
A few days after the biopsy, he received confirmation that it was indeed skin cancer.
He is currently exploring his treatment options.
It has been suggested that he undergo MOHs surgery to remove the cancer from his nose, but he is also ‘really considering’ radiation treatment.
Sharing more on TikTok with his 472,000 followers, Graceffa said: “This is all very new to me and 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. It’s the basal-cell.
“I’m just living my positive life with skin cancer on my nose. So, just figured I would document this process if anyone else is going through this. I’m there with you.”
@joeygraceffa life update 🥴
Following his announcement, people have shared their own cancer experiences to offer comfort.
One person responded to his video, “I had MOHs done on my forehead it took two passes to get clean margins but it isn’t 45 minutes of cutting it’s like 5-10 of cutting the rest is numbing or just waiting while the check the biopsy.”
Another shared, “That’s exactly where my skin cancer was, and I had the MOH’s surgery. First pass got rid of it. I’m so happy I had it done.”
Graceffa has expressed his gratitude for the support and reassurance.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.