Cal Ripken Jr. Recovers From Prostate Cancer

Cal Ripken Jr. has recovered from prostate cancer. The 59-year-old Orioles Hall of Famer, who is turning 60 before the end of August, said he was diagnosed in mid-February.

"I had surgery, removed it, it was all contained in the prostate," Ripken said. "Your life basically goes back to normal, so I'm lucky."

The cancer was found early through blood work, he said.

At the time of his diagnosis, Ripken said he felt like he did not want to tell people, because "there's something wrong with you," but he told media members on a Zoom call Thursday he wanted to share his story now that he is cancer-free to encourage people "to go get their exams, get their tests," ESPN reported.

"Sometimes you don't schedule your physicals like you should," Ripken said in a video on his Facebook page Thursday afternoon. "It's easy to get lax, it's easy to avoid potential bad news or as you age, you think it's not going to happen to me. So by telling the story, hopefully I'm encouraging other people, other guys, to be disciplined and go get your physicals. If you find it early, you know, the prognosis is really good."

Gov. Larry Hogan, who is also a cancer survivor, offered words of support, posting on social media Thursday afternoon: "Great news! Had a chance to meet with my friend Cal Ripken in the governor’s office this week. I told him that cancer didn’t stand a chance against the Iron Man. Congratulations Cal!"