Travel writer and television personality Rick Steves announced his prostate diagnosis Wednesday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, emphasizing he expects to be fine and the cancer shows no signs of spreading.
“My doctor assures me 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,” the 69-year-old said in his post. “There is a clear path forward to getting healthy, and this fall, I’ll be in the hospital for a few days having prostate surgery.”
Despite the diagnosis, Steves said he plans to continue traveling for his programs, including filming two new shows in France. He will have surgery in late September at a hospital in Seattle, near his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, he said.
“God willing — (I’ll) be cancer-free and back at it by the end of October,” he wrote.
Steves is best known as a writer who made international travel feel more accessible for many Americans, with his public access television and radio programs, including the long-running “Rick Steves’ Europe.”
In his announcement, Steves described his journey with prostate cancer as a new “adventure,” saying he sees it as an “amazing, really important trip.”
“I expect to take home some delightful, if intangible, souvenirs like: appreciating and seeing a vibrancy in the little things,” Steves wrote toward the end of his post. “I’m looking forward to many more years of happy travels, exciting collaborations, and beautiful friendships.”
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, out of every 100 American men, 13 will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lifetimes, with the most common risk factor being age. Diagnoses like Steves’ can serve as a reminder for men to make appointments to be screened, especially as they age, because treatment is most promising if the cancer is found early.
