Wrestling legend Bret ”The Hitman” Hart announced on his social media pages Monday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“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,” Hart, 58, shared with his followers. “In the next few days, I will undergo surgery with the hope of defeating this nemesis once and for all.”
@brethitmanhart via InstagramBret Hart called his ongoing fight with prostate cancer his “toughest battle.”
Hart is one of the most recognizable wrestlers in history. CM Punk, during an interview with Bill Simmons in 2011, called Hart “the greatest of all-time.”
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“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,” the wrestler wrote.
Hart noted in the post that he suffered a stroke in 2002, which left him in a wheelchair for a short amount of time.
Gallo Images/Getty ImagesSpecial guest referee Bret “The Hitman” Hart is introduced during the WWE Smackdown Live Tour at Westridge Park Tennis Stadium in 2011.
“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,” he wrote.
Hart has made multiple WWE appearances since.
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He said that his family will be his inspiration throughout the battle with cancer.
“My children, grandchildren, and my loving wife Steph have been and will constantly be at my side,” Hart wrote. “I refuse to lose, I will never give in or give up, and I will win this battle or die trying.”
His brother, Owen, died during the pay-per-view special “Over The Edge” in 1999 due to blunt force trauma sustained from a 78-foot fall that was caused by a harness malfunction.
Fellow wrestlers and WWE figures have shared their best wishes for Hart on social media.”
Love, Prayers, & Good Vibes to @BretHart. There lies a battle ahead but in knowing who’s fighting it, I don’t like the enemies chances.
— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) February 1, 2016
Keep @WWE Hall Of Famer @BretHart in your thoughts he is diagnosed with prostate cancer praying for you brother. Jimmy
— Jimmy Valiant (@TheJimmyValiant) February 1, 2016
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