Dwayne Johnson Details “Really Painful” Testicular Cancer Scare

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is happy to report a clean bill of health.

However, the former WWE pro recently found himself fearing a potential illness after he discovered a painful lump on one of his testicles. 

“I didn’t even tell Lauren,” Johnson—who shares three daughters with wife of seven years Lauren Hashian—confessed to Esquire in an interview published June 11. “I didn’t want to worry her before I knew if it was anything to even worry about.”

Terrified by the possible outcomes, the Moana star went to the doctor earlier this year to get the lump examined. While his physician noted it was probably epididymitis—inflammation of a tube at the back of the testicle that stores sperm—they recommended Johnson get an ultrasound the very next day to rule out a cancer diagnosis.

After his appointment, the 54-year-old returned to work, attending a promotional event for the latest Jumanji movie with costars Kevin Hart and Jack Black.

Johnson remembered feeling anxious for 24 hours after his doctor’s advice, because he had to act normal and continue with his public duties, like giving speeches and being cheerful, despite being unsure of what was happening.

Thankfully, the exam results confirmed the bump was indeed epididymitis and not cancer.

“By the way: I’m fine,” he reassured fans. “But I didn’t know that then, and the thing was really painful.”

With the scare in his rearview mirror, Johnson is focusing on the future and tuning out any unnecessary noise.

He shared with the publication that he’s finally at a place in his life where he feels content after a lot of hard work.

He explained that young men, especially during their teens and twenties, are usually figuring out who they are. Then, as they reach their thirties, that initial confidence starts to fade as the reality of needing to make real life decisions sets in.

Even though Johnson gained more confidence in his 40s, he’s still continuing to grow and develop as a person.

“Who am I? What’s my why?” he added. “I was working hard just to find what peace meant. Things in my world have become less presentational, less broadcast-y, more ‘I’m going to put in the work, and I’ll keep it as quiet as I can.'”

But Johnson isn’t alone. Keep reading to see more stars who got candid about their health scares.

In May 2026, the host of the BFFs podcast had emergency surgery when doctors found a large cyst on her ovary. The cyst had twisted her organs and was causing internal bleeding.

After her surgery, Brianna explained in a TikTok video that doctors found about half a liter of blood inside her pelvic area. She also mentioned she had five cuts on her stomach, and the surgeons used a camera inserted through her belly button to locate the blood.

Former Total Bellas star revealed that a breast implant moved after being hit in the chest by fellow WWE wrestler Piper Niven during a match in July 2025.

“It’s OK,” she told sister Bella Garcia at the time. “We’re going to get it fixed one day. I told the doctor, I go, ‘Newly divorced, so the minute the boots are hung up, I’m going to come back to you and we’re going to make these girls look real good, because these girls are going to get some action in the future and that can’t look like that.'”

Lupita Nyong’o, known for her role in 12 Years a Slave, received a diagnosis of uterine fibroids – non-cancerous growths in or around the uterus – in 2014, the same year she won an Academy Award for her acting.

She didn’t reveal her diagnosis until 2025, sharing on Instagram that she had privately struggled with it for over ten years.

Ugh, it’s just… growing up, they told us periods were supposed to hurt! Like, pain was just… normal? They made it sound like suffering was just part of being a woman, and honestly, it felt like I was the only one dealing with it. It’s so frustrating, because it feels like something so many of us go through, but we’re all just supposed to suffer in silence!

 

In July 2025, the actress from Daisy Jones & The Six revealed she was hospitalized for a hernia. This happens when there’s a gap in the abdominal or groin muscles, and in her case, it was caused by wearing very tight pants.

She messaged Suki on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “You haven’t tweeted in ages!” Then, jokingly, she added, “I’ve been meaning to tell you… I think those super-tight pants I wore six months ago gave me a hernia, and I’ve been too embarrassed to say anything.”

The former star of Beverly Hills, 90210 shared in April 2025 that he was recovering from surgery because his appendix was close to rupturing.

“Last week, I started feeling some pain in my stomach,” Brian said in an Instagram video at the time. “I ended up going to the emergency room, and I had a perforated appendix. Not quite burst, but just before.”

He added, “I’m on the road to recovery. It’s not an easy process. This is my first major surgery.”

A Racing Louisville midfielder fell to the ground early in her team’s game against Seattle Reign on September 14th at Lumen Field in Seattle.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Women’s National Team player sat down on the field with a teammate supporting her, and then quickly collapsed. Trainers were immediately called to assess her condition.

“Savannah received immediate on-field care from medical personnel and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation,” the National Women’s Soccer League wrote on X later that night. “She is stable and alert.”

Adam Devine shared that injuries he sustained after getting hit by a cement truck when he was 11 years old are still affecting him to this day. 

“It’s been a nightmare,” Devine said in a 2025 episode of the In Depth With Graham Bensinger podcast. “I have spasms all over. For a while, [the doctors] told me I was dying—literally, within this last year.”

He noted that pain comes and goes, adding, “My body has all these things that are a little wonky and a little wrong with it.”

The reality TV star revealed he had to crawl to the hospital because of severe back pain that got worse during a road trip with a friend.

“Right now, knees to my toes, it’s, like, still tingly, which is crazy,” he said on a March 2025 episode of his Trading Secrets podcast. “And to put in perspective, I don’t know, man, like not to sound douchey, but like two, three weeks ago, maybe a month ago, I was squatting probably like 295 pounds. And right now, I can’t do a squat on my foot. I can’t do a one legged squat, I fall. It’s like I had a stroke or something.”

But with the help of a back specialist and some steroids, he added, “We’re on the mend.”

Real Housewives of Orange County’s Gina Kirschenheiter shared her ex-husband Matt Kirschenheiter suffered a heart attack in March 2025, but thankfully survived the ordeal.

In March 2025, the actor from 30 Rock experienced a medical issue at a New York Knicks game and had to be taken out of Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair.

I was so worried when I heard about the comedian being unwell, but thankfully he posted an update! It turned out he just had food poisoning and is already feeling much better, which is such a relief.

In February 2025, the former Even Stevens star revealed she was accidentally shot in the face during a birthday celebration for her husband, Brendan Rooney. They were on a clay pigeon shooting outing when the incident occurred.

In an Instagram post, she explained that she was accidentally shot in the face by someone at a party who fired a gun unsafely. Brendan Rooney quickly helped her, evaluated her injuries, and drove her to the hospital. She was hit five times, and one bullet narrowly missed her right eye, coming within an inch of a direct hit.

The former Kim Possible star shared that a small piece of something got stuck behind their eye. Doctors have advised against removing it with surgery right now, and they’ll be keeping a close watch on the situation. Thankfully, their vision is currently normal.

The actress said she was grateful to be alive. “I love my daughters, husband, family, and friends so much,” she said. “I saw my life flash before my eyes and I’m telling you, hug the people around you every chance you can. Life can change in an instant.”

Amy Schumer is grateful for the internet, surprisingly, because it helped her discover a health issue. After noticing she looked “puffy” during interviews, she received a lot of criticism online. But instead of ignoring it, she noticed doctors were commenting, suggesting she might have Cushing syndrome – a condition often caused by high cortisol levels or steroid injections. This prompted her to realize she’d been getting steroid injections after a breast reduction and C-section. Schumer explained she wouldn’t have known about the condition if not for the online comments. Thankfully, doctors determined her case of Cushing syndrome would resolve on its own, which she called “the greatest news imaginable.” She’s now relieved to be healthy and is thankful for the unexpected help she received online.

In December 2024, an AHL player suffered a skate cut during a game and needed 25 stitches to close the wound. After his son made a full recovery, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald shared with ESPN how grateful they were, saying, “We feel very lucky, and I wouldn’t want any parent to go through that.”

In March 2022, Hailey Bieber experienced a frightening health scare while having breakfast with her husband, Justin Bieber. She suddenly began having stroke-like symptoms, and couldn’t speak or move the right side of her face. Although these symptoms eventually passed, she went to the hospital for testing. Doctors discovered she had a small blood clot in her brain, which they identified as a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), sometimes called a ‘mini-stroke.’ Further testing at UCLA revealed Hailey had a hole in her heart called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). This hole allowed the blood clot to travel to her brain, causing the TIA. Hailey has since undergone a successful procedure to close the PFO and is now doing well.

The same year Hailey had her health scare, Justin experienced one of his own.

In June 2022, the “Baby” singer shared he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that caused temporary paralysis to parts of his face and forced him to cancel the remainder of his Justice World Tour.

“It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis,” Justin explained in an Instagram video at the time. “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. So, there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”

In fact, he told his followers it had gotten “progressively harder to eat.” But after a while, the paralysis went away.

“He’s doing really well,” Hailey said on a June 2022 episode of Good Morning America, later adding, “He’s feeling a lot better. Obviously, it was just a very scary and random situation to happen, but he’s going to be totally OK and I’m just grateful that he’s fine.” 

While Jamie Foxx initially kept details of his April 2023 hospitalization private, he later opened up about what he went through.

One day in Atlanta, “I was having such a bad headache, so I asked my boy, I said, ‘Listen, I need an aspirin,’” the Oscar winner said in his 2024 Netflix special What Had Happened Was… “Before I could get the Aspirin, I went out. I don’t remember 20 days.”

Jamie said he was initially taken to a doctor who gave him a cortisone shot and then sent him home. However, his concerned sister Deidra Dixon then drove him to a hospital, where they got an answer: He had a brain bleed that led to a stroke.

Twenty days after undergoing an operation, the Django Unchainedwoke up May 4 in a wheelchair and couldn’t walk. He then went to Chicago for rehabilitation and therapy.

“All I can tell you is that I appreciate every prayer,” he said, “because I needed every prayer.”

The reality star revealed that she “died” while running a mile during the first challenge of the NBC competition series. 

As I understand it from being interviewed on Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, she described a really surreal experience. She said her memory is fragmented, but she distinctly remembers the sound of a helicopter and feeling like she was drifting. Then, she vividly recalled seeing her grandfather before everything went dark. But then, she saw light again, and in that moment, she knew – she absolutely knew she had passed away that day. It’s a powerfully moving story, and speaks to the often-unseen emotional journeys people go through.

“My organs were literally shutting down,” she continued. “I didn’t realize that I had rhabdomyolysis. And rhabdomyolysis is your body’s way of saying, ‘I’m going to shut down on you.’”

Emilia Clarke filmed battle scenes for Game of Thrones, but in 2019, she published an essay in The New Yorker titled “A Battle for My Life.”

Having a bad headache at the gym, “I reached the toilet, sank to my knees, and proceeded to be violently, voluminously ill,” the actress wrote. “Meanwhile, the pain—shooting, stabbing, constricting pain—was getting worse. At some level, I knew what was happening: my brain was damaged.”

She was taken to the hospital for a brain scan.

“The diagnosis was quick and ominous: a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a life-threatening type of stroke, caused by bleeding into the space surrounding the brain,” the Emmy nominee added. “I’d had an aneurysm, an arterial rupture.”

Emilia had immediate surgery to seal the aneurysm, calling the pain “unbearable.” While she was recovering, she continued, she experienced aphasia and was “muttering nonsense.”

A week later, “the aphasia passed,” Emilia added, and she left the hospital a month after being admitted.

At a 2013 brain scan, she learned a growth “doubled in size” and that she needed surgery again.

“When they woke me, I was screaming in pain,” she wrote. “The procedure had failed. I had a massive bleed and the doctors made it plain that my chances of surviving were precarious if they didn’t operate again. This time they needed to access my brain in the old-fashioned way—through my skull.”

Thankfully, Emilia shared, she’s now “at a hundred per cent.”

Cori Broadus, Snoop Dogg’s daughter, recently expressed her thankfulness for her family’s support. In January 2024, she suffered a stroke and immediately reached out to her loved ones, who quickly came to her aid. She shared with TopMob News’ Will Marfuggi in December 2024 that “Everybody just came to my rescue.”

Cori ended up staying in the hospital longer than expected due to additional health issues. She explained that while she could have gone home after the stroke, her lupus and failing kidneys required further treatment.

Fortunately, Cori is now recovering well. “I’m doing great,” she said. “I just had a little bit of motor skills that I had to work back on. But other than that, I was fine.”

Shailene Woodley struggled with significant health issues throughout her 20s. In a September 2024 podcast interview, she described a time when she was losing her hearing, unable to walk for more than a few minutes without needing to rest for hours, and experiencing constant stomach pain. She faced confusing diagnoses from various doctors. Determined to find answers, Shailene, who comes from a holistic health background and studies herbalism, sought help from both traditional doctors and alternative healers.

This health journey lasted for ten years and also led to mental health challenges. She developed a fear of food due to her stomach issues, which then contributed to body dysmorphia and questions about her identity and self-worth.

Fortunately, Shailene has since recovered and is now feeling very healthy. She’s grateful to have found a resolution to these long-term physical and mental health struggles.

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2026-06-11 21:23