Will Reeve Opens Up About Rare Cancer Battle And The Full-Circle Moment With His Late Mom

Will Reeve’s diagnosis came as a total surprise

Will Reeve, 34, is sharing one of the toughest chapters of his life — and doing it with the calm, candid voice he’s used in his reporting. The ABC News correspondent revealed in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that last spring he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of testicular cancer that had spread to lymph nodes in his abdomen.

It started, he says, with a lump he found and an ultrasound that led to an orchiectomy. The diagnosis was embryonal carcinoma, a serious subtype that required quick, aggressive care. The news completely caught him off guard, and it set off a cascade of surgeries and treatments that tested him physically and emotionally.

How the discovery unfolded

After noticing the lump, Will scheduled an ultrasound and underwent surgery to remove the affected testicle. From there, doctors found the cancer had moved to abdominal lymph nodes, which led to a six-hour operation to extract them and two rounds of chemotherapy.

“My parents raised me to be open about struggles if it can help others - that’s why I chose to tell this story,” Will said, explaining his motivation to speak publicly about his diagnosis and treatment.

“My parents raised me to be open about struggles if it can help others - that’s why I chose to tell this story,” Will said.

Treatment, recovery and life now

Will endured a major surgical procedure to remove the lymph nodes and then completed two rounds of chemotherapy. The treatment was intense and demanding, but he has since announced he is cancer-free. He credits the outpouring of support from family, friends and even strangers for helping him through the ordeal.

As a working journalist and television correspondent, Will kept his professional life in view while navigating recovery. He told PEOPLE he felt “loved and supported and rooted for” throughout the process, and that confidence allowed him to reassure fans and colleagues: he’s going to be fine, though it was undeniably a harsh chapter in his life.

What the treatment looked like

The medical timeline included the orchiectomy, the lengthy lymph-node surgery and chemotherapy. Those steps were all part of an aggressive response to embryonal carcinoma, and they underscore the urgency of finding and treating such tumors early.

Will’s experience speaks to the broader message he’s tried to carry from his parents’ advocacy work - that sharing difficult experiences can help others facing similar battles.

A full-circle moment tied to his parents’ legacy

Will’s family history is woven into the story in a striking way. His father, actor Christopher Reeve, died in 2004 at 52 after living with paralysis from a riding accident. His mother, Dana Reeve, died two years later from lung cancer at 44. Those losses shaped Will’s upbringing and his approach to public life.

The irony of his treatment location wasn’t lost on him - Will received care at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the same hospital where his mother was treated. He said the experience let him see aspects of both parents’ lives at once: what it felt like to be a cancer patient like his mom and to be surrounded by family the way his dad was in his final years.

Family roles reversed and carried forward

Will noted that his wife stepped into the caregiver role in ways that reminded him of his mother, and that feeling added another emotional layer to his recovery. He reflected on how family support sustained him - much as his parents’ family unity sustained Christopher in the years after his accident.

Today Will is cancer-free and using his platform to be open about the journey. His story is one part medical journey, one part family legacy, and a reminder of how public figures and their families can turn private pain into a message that helps others.