Bravo’s newest Summer House star, Jesse Solomon, 31, called surviving two bouts of cancer “one of the better things that’s ever happened to me,” according to People.

During the latest episode of the reality show, which follows a group of friends living in Montauk, New York, Solomon revealed to his housemates that being diagnosed with testicular cancer, which then spread to his stomach, changed his perspective on life.

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“When you’re on your ass and you can’t get up to piss, and your brother and your dad lift you up, you’re like, ‘Wow,’” the 31-year-old recalled. “It definitely puts everything into perspective and makes you realize the importance of family and your friends, who’s there for you and who is not.”

During a routine checkup in 2017, Solomon asked to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Soon thereafter, doctors called him back to the hospital, where they told him he had testicular cancer.

Testicular cancer is rare and seldom deadly, according to the American Cancer Society. It affects about one out of every 250 men, most of whom are young and middle-aged; indeed, the average age at diagnosis is 33. In 2024, an estimated 9,760 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed in the United States.

After having a testicle removed, Solomon felt “totally fine—that is, until doctors found that the cancer had spread to his stomach. In general, when cancer spreads, or metastasizes, to another area, it is still referred to as a cancer of the area where it originated.

“The first time I was diagnosed with cancer, it was weird because it was like, ‘Did I just have cancer?’ I just had a quick surgery. It was serious, obviously, but I didn’t feel like a cancer survivor,” Solomon said on Summer House.

The second time around, Solomon underwent chemotherapy to treat the cancer.

Testicular cancer can affect fertility, as can certain cancer treatments. That’s why many folks with cancer turn to in vitro fertilization to preserve their options of having children. To learn more, see “Alabama Embryo Ruling Alarms Cancer Patients Seeking Reproductive Options.”

Summer House viewers can hear more from Solomon throughout the rest of season 8, currently airing Thursdays on Bravo.

“My [5-year] check-up is mid-August, so hopefully we’ll all be together,” he said on the show.

To read more, click #Testicular Cancer, #Stomach Cancer or Cancer Health’s Basics on Testicular Cancer and Stomach Cancer.