Streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has revealed that he has been diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
Blevins, 32, who has the most-followed Twitch channel with more than 18.8 million followers, revealed the diagnosis in the following post: Statement on Twitter / X After a mole removed from his leg was found to be cancerous. Blevins said medical experts are “optimistic” that the virus was detected at an early stage. “While it’s good to have hope for early detection, treat this as a PSA and get a skin test,” Dr. Blevins added.
Ninja’s full statement is below.
“Yes, I’m still a bit in shock, but I wanted to give you all an update. A few weeks ago, I went to the dermatologist for my annual skin and mole exam. Jess He proactively planned this for me. There was a mole on the sole of my foot, so he wanted me to have it removed just in case. It came back as melanoma, but I was glad that they had discovered it at an early stage. They are optimistic: another black spot appeared near it, so today they biopsied it and the non-melanoma edges were clearly visible under the microscope, indicating it was melanoma. In anticipation, we removed a larger area around the melanoma. We are grateful for the early detection, but please consider this as a PSA and undergo a skin diagnosis.”
Ninja became perhaps the most well-known name in the streaming world after playing Fortnite on Twitch since late 2017. Since then, he has stepped out of his video game world, appearing on TV shows and other media, and becoming a mainstream celebrity in his own right.
of NHS describes melanoma as a type of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body, and advises people to use sunscreen and be careful in the sun. A new mole, or changes in an existing mole, can be a sign of melanoma.
Image credit: Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Amazon’s Crown Channel
Wesley is IGN’s UK News Editor. Find me on Twitter @wyp100. Wesley can be contacted at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
