National

Canadian Wrestling Legend Bret (Hitman) Hart Says He Has Prostate Cancer

Darpan News Desk, 01 Feb, 2016 11:41 AM

Canadian professional wrestler Bret Hart says he has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery "in the next few days."

Posting on his verified Instagram account, the Calgary-born grappler known as "The Hitman" said he was about to face his "toughest battle."

The 58-year-old has had serious health issues before.

He suffered a significant stroke in 2002 that left him partially paralyzed, but made a successful recovery.

Hart was born into a legendary wrestling family led by his father Stu Hart, the founder of Calgary's Stampede Wrestling promotion.

Monday's Instagram post had more than 8,000 likes within an hour of it going up.

"With hesitation and fear, I openly declare myself in my fight against prostate cancer," Hart said.

It is with great remorse that I feel compelled to speak truthfully to my friends, family and my millions of fans around the world. In the past few years, I've spent more than enough time paying the price for all those years trying to be the best there ever was as a professional wrestler. I executed excellently and my proudest claim was that I never seriously hurt or injured another wrestler in my 23 year career. I've paid a price for all that "fake" wrestling ... Mark Helprin wrote: "We are all perfect clocks that Divinity has set to ticking when, even before birth, the heart explodes into a lifelong dance." I've had a great lifelong dance and I'm a survivor of many hard battles. I now face my toughest battle. With hesitation and fear, I openly declare myself in my fight against prostate cancer. In the next few days, I will undergo surgery with the hope of defeating this nemesis once and for all. My fans have always looked upon me as a hero and I've always done my best to live up to that in and out of the ring. I beat the odds when I suffered my stroke in 2002, but it is now yet again, that I ... stand unafraid and face the tough road ahead of me, I will march toward this destiny with his spirit chanting in my ear. I make a solemn vow to all of those that once believed in me, the dead and the living, that I will wage my fearsome fight against cancer with one shield and one sword carrying my determination and my fury for life, emboldened by all the love that's kept me going this long already. Love is my weapon and I've got much of it around me all the time, for which I'm truly blessed and eternally grateful. My children, grandchildren, and my loving wife Steph have been and will constantly be at my side. I refuse to lose, I will never give in or give up, and I will win this battle or die trying. Most important of all, I hope can take the fight to prostate cancer. To be a leader in awareness and to set the example for men everywhere who find themselves in my very same shoes, that prostate cancer can be beaten. B x

A photo posted by Bret (@brethitmanhart) on Feb 1, 2016 at 8:28am PST

He made his debut in the WWF (now WWE) in 1984 and rose to fame as a member of the Hart Foundation with tag-team partner Jim (The Anvil) Neidhart.

Hart went on to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship five times before an acrimonious split with the promotion.

He joined rival WCW, where he won the heavyweight title four times.

Hart has since mended fences with WWE and was inducted into the promotion's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Coastal Gaslink Pipeline Project Gets Ok From Two More B.C. First Nations

TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) says the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, west of Prince George, and the West Moberly First Nation north of Chetwynd, have signed project agreements.

Coastal Gaslink Pipeline Project Gets Ok From Two More B.C. First Nations

Opponents Of B.C.'s Controversial Wolf Cull Take Fight Against Province To Court

Pacific Wild and Valhalla Wilderness Society say they have filed an application for a judicial review that's intended to determine whether the cull constitutes proper wolf management.

Opponents Of B.C.'s Controversial Wolf Cull Take Fight Against Province To Court

One-Time Slasher Flick Queen Lenore Zann Seeks Role As Nova Scotia's NDP Leader

Actor Lenore Zann thought she left Hollywood behind when she ran for the provincial NDP in Nova Scotia, but her welcome to politics was straight out of a celebrity gossip tabloid.

One-Time Slasher Flick Queen Lenore Zann Seeks Role As Nova Scotia's NDP Leader

Bank Of Canada Holds Key Rate At 0.5% Even As Growth Outlook Dims For 2016

The Bank of Canada is holding its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 per cent even as it downgrades its growth outlook for an economy hit by falling commodity prices.

Bank Of Canada Holds Key Rate At 0.5% Even As Growth Outlook Dims For 2016

Industry Group Calls On Province To Dig Mining Industry Out Of Possible Trouble

The association says the report, by consultant firm Hemmera, reveals a drop in the amount of land available for mineral exploration, while red tape governing land access and development abounds.