“The Golden Bachelor” star Gerry Turner’s incurable cancer diagnosis has rocked fans, but he’s not letting it slow him down — he’s carrying on with life as usual, TMZ has learned.
Gerry tells TMZ that despite his bone marrow cancer, called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, his daily routine hasn’t missed a beat — he’s still playing pickleball 3 times a week for 3 hours and walking around a nearby 3-mile lake twice a week.
Gerry says while doctors have advised cutting back on alcohol and sugar, he’s feeling more adventurous and open to new experiences … adding optimistically, “I get the benefit of living like I’m dying!”
For now, Gerry’s staying positive and active because that’s all he can do — especially since there’s no treatment for his cancer, until he starts showing symptoms like headaches, dizziness, night sweats, and unusual bleeding.
He tells us he hasn’t experienced any of those symptoms yet, so no therapy is needed at the moment. However, he’s staying on top of his health with a battery of blood tests every 6 months.
As previously mentioned, the type of cancer Gerry has isn’t curable … but he breaks it down further, saying people can live up to 9 years without treatment. While it’s unclear exactly where he stands in that 9-year window, he assures us that it’s still very early on.
At the end of the day, Gerry says he hasn’t asked doctors for a life expectancy prediction because he doesn’t want to know.
Instead, he’s focusing on using his platform to make a difference, and plans to reach out to the International Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, believing his public visibility can help raise awareness, fundraise, and spread the word about the condition.
It’s certainly a positive spin for Gerry, who explains his cancer diagnosis played a big role in his split from Theresa Nist after just 3 months of marriage, following their meeting on “The Golden Bachelor.”