There has been no shortage of headlines regarding Roman Reigns‘ heartbreaking leukemia announcement from Raw this week. However, despite all of the press, no one seems to know how long The Big Dog will be out of WWE’s ring.
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But according to leukemia specialist Dr. Joeseph Alvarnas, Reigns is likely to miss at least a year.
In an interview with Hollywood Life, the City of Hope administrator said it could be a “year or more” until Reigns can return to “normal activities,” with Reigns’ progress being tied to his response to therapy or a transplant.
“It’s very tough to determine when Roman would be able to return to wrestling after treatment,” Dr. Alvarnas told Hollywood Life. “There are so many factors that go into that and when people are treated for acute leukemia, their normal blood count and immune system may be compromised.”
There are two types of leukemia, and although Roman’s specific diagnosis hasn’t been announced, one could especially put his career on a longer hiatus.
There are two types of leukemia, but with so little details no one seems to know what Reigns is up against.
“There are acute leukemias which are aggressive that are treated with much more intensive combinations of chemotherapy, and may also be treated with a marrow or blood stem cell transplant as a way of building upon chemotherapy and getting a greater outcome,” Alvarnas explained.
“The other kind of leukemias are chronic leukemias which tend to be somewhat less aggressive and are treated with either chemotherapy or some targeted anti-cancer medications which can control the leukemia,” Dr. Alvarnas continued. “So the idea of Roman getting kicked or hit while wrestling would be hard to imagine for someone going through treatment or even during the recovery phase.”
Dr. Alvarnas went on to explain that Reigns will need to find the best medical care available and keep a keen eye on any potential for infection. But Dr. Alvarnas also underlined that Reigns’ triumph over leukemia will call for the help of friends and family.
“…treating leukemia is not just about giving medications to treat the person, it’s a human experience and really making sure that he stays grounded, surrounded by people that care for him and support him,” Dr. Alvarnas advised.
“He needs to be surrounded by people who sustain him during this rigorous time, even more rigorous than when he’s wrestling. Having that moral support and community support around him really makes a huge difference. Whether we’re treating leukemia or other types of cancers, that is a human experience. We may use medicine and technologies but this is about a person, it’s always about a person.”
