Headbanger Mosh has shared the details of his battle with thyroid cancer in 2018, revealing the extent of the surgery required to save his life. During an interview on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Mosh recounted the discovery of a lump in his neck and the series of inconclusive biopsies that eventually led to a frightening diagnosis.
After initially being told there was “nothing to worry about,” further testing revealed that the cancer had spread significantly. Mosh described the moment an ultrasound specialist confirmed the severity of his condition, contradicting previous assurances from doctors.
“The ultrasound Doc, goes, I’m 100% sure,” Mosh said. “And I’m laying on the table with them looking, I’m looking at the screen up here of all this stuff, and I’m like, I’m right here. I go, What are you 100% sure of and he looks down his plane. His name goes, Oh. He goes, You have thyroid cancer that spread to your lymph nodes. And I went, Okay, so you guys have been telling me all along, there’s nothing to worry about, so now I need to worry a little bit.”
The subsequent surgery was extensive. Mosh revealed that doctors removed his thyroid along with a staggering number of lymph nodes from his neck.
“I went in July 31 like, I said, lymph node where thyroid came out, 122 lymph nodes,” Mosh explained. “And I didn’t know this, like, I didn’t realize you had that many. You have, like, 800 lymph nodes in your body. 300 of them are in your neck. So I lost a third of them on this side.”
Recovery was far from simple. Mosh developed a “chyle leak,” a complication where lymphatic fluid accumulates, leading to swelling and requiring a second surgery. He was placed on a restrictive diet and fed intravenously to stop the leak. Ultimately, a high fever helped close the ducts, and a final test involving fatty foods confirmed he was healed.
“Enough for the next 24 hours, I’m going to feed you the fattiest food you want to eat, cheesesteaks, french fries, pizza, whatever you want,” Mosh recalled the doctor saying. “We’re going to give you. If you have no leaks in 24 hours, you go home. 24 hours no leaks. I went home. You beat cancer.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight With Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
