Travel writer and revealed on Aug. 21 that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In a , Steves said that his doctor had assured him that "if you're going to get cancer, this is a good kind to get, and careful scans show no sign of it having spread.
" He went on to say that he will have surgery on his prostate this fall and his doctors have cleared him to continue filming two shows in France for the next three weeks. "I’ll likely get my surgery in late September, be laid up for a month, and — God willing — be cancer-free and back at it by the end of October," he said. Steves went on to say that he's never had to spend the night in a hospital before.
"While the statistics tell me I should be just fine, I’ve been fortunate to have never spent a night in a hospital — and I find myself going into this adventure almost like it’s some amazing, really important trip," he wrote. "I feel good about my positive attitude — and I expect to take home some delightful, if intangible, souvenirs like: appreciating and seeing a vibrancy in the little things; appreciating the goodness in people and the treasure of friends and family; being wowed by modern medicine and the army of amazing, smart, and dedicated people that make it possible; appreciating what a blessing life, health, and this world to enjoy is; and — just in general — being more thankful," the travel expert continued. Steves concluded by writing that he's "looking forward to many more years of happy travels, exciting collaborations, and beautiful friendships.
" The post included a photo of walking through a field of flowers with the text "Be thankful." Steves has been a mainstay of PBS television since 2000, when his show “Rick Steves’ Europe” debuted. In recent years, he's also become a grandfather.
His daughter, Jackie, and her husband, Damian, . Sam Kubota is a senior digital editor and journalist for TODAY Digital based in Los Angeles. She joined NBC News in 2019.
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