Roman Reigns Explains Why He Was More Private About His Leukemia Before, Discusses Wanting to Share His Story and Send a Message of Positivity

– WWE Superstar Roman Reigns appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter this week ahead of WrestleMania 35. Below are some highlights and a video of his appearance.

Reigns on what he’s been going through for the last few months: “It’s been a crazy few months for me. I was in a situation a few months ago where I was the Universal champion, and I had a bit of real-life bad news hit me. What people didn’t know about me, I lived with CML, and I was in remission for a few years. It’s [CML] is the chronic form of leukemia, and I relapsed out of remission. It’s been a crazy couple of months, but the fact that I had so much love and support around me, it made the process that much easier.”

Roman Reigns on how he was more private about what he went through originally: “It was a tough process, but to get through it, it did put me on a bit of an island because I kind of went through that process alone with my mom and my wife. We just all kind of embodied it and just surrounded me within my family. But being where I’m at now, and being a public figure, being in the WWE, we’re a public platform. I’ve grown really close to my fans, and I have a lot of passion for what I do. I just felt like I can say, ‘I have to go,’ and not really specify, or I could just tell the truth. To be honest, just telling the and getting the secret off my shoulders, it felt like the right way to go. I was a little apprehensive because the way this world is now and with social media and the connectivity, a lot of negativity could come out of that stuff. But for me, I had to really gid down deep and tell myself and confront those insecurities and say, ‘Hey. You’re gonna get some crap. You’ve gotten it before, but just imagine if you can connect with that one person, if there’s one person struggling and going through it, and they’re thinking, ‘Man. I don’t know if I can get through this,’ and then they see me and they’re like, ‘Whoa. If Roman can do, maybe I can do it. Maybe I’m not alone in this.’ They’re are a lot of positive people out there. If you don’t believe me, look at me. Look at what happened to me. I felt more positivity than what I’ve ever felt. I felt like Christmas times 30. It was ridiculous how many people reached to me. For me to know that I’m not alone and that I had that support and people backing me up, it really made that process a lot more comfortable for me. It gave me strength that I didn’t know I had.”

Roman Reigns on what his return to Raw was like: “That was almost as scary as making the announcement. After I got all that outreach and all that love, it really put me in a good place where I could focus on myself, my health, and my family. The whole time, I’m like, I cannot wait to say my thank you’s. I cannot wait to show my gratitude and my appreciation. And the closer we got, the more nervous I got about it. I just wanted the world and my fans to understand that the appreciation I have will never go unforgotten.”

Roman Reigns on what he wants to do at WrestleMania: “Hopefully, I can bring this whole story to an arc and show everybody that struggling a little bit, regardless of if its cancer or depression — anything that’s got you down, There is a way out of it. There is a way to get back on your feet, and life can move towards a positive position. Hopefully, when people see me compete and perform in that ring, they’ll know good things can happen too.”

If using any of the above quotes, please use a h/t for 411mania.com for the transcription.

#TheBigDog @WWERomanReigns continued to gear up for #WrestleMania with a stop by @ESPN's @SportsCenter earlier today! https://t.co/JUqyUBJAz9

— WWE (@WWE) April 4, 2019