Sam Champion has shared an update in his ongoing struggle with skin cancer, posting details from a lengthy day of surgery that he admitted left him feeling “a little overwhelmed.”
The beloved Good Morning America weather anchor shared a series of photos on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, as he underwent treatment for skin cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City on Oct. 2.
“First pass of the knife with Mohs surgery today! Now we wait for results,” Champion, 63, captioned a selfie of himself, surrounded by hospital equipment.
“Good Morning America” weather anchor Sam Champion shared his skin cancer struggle.
Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
As John Hopkins Medicine explains, “Mohs surgery is a method for treating skin cancer lesions. During this procedure, the surgeon removes thin layers of skin one layer at a time and examines each layer under a microscope to determine if any cancer remains. This procedure continues until only cancer-free tissue remains.”
In Champion’s case, he required another round of surgery, sharing a second — frowning — selfie on X, that he captioned: “2nd pass coming. -sigh-.”
Nearly 12 hours after the initial post, Champion shared a third — and final — update at 10:12 pm, showing a graphic close-up of a series of stitches underneath his eye.
“Final final👍. We got it all! Thanks to a hard working group of very kind DRs and Nurses! Keep a close eye on your skin… No one knows it better than you… And when you see something you don’t like, make sure you talk to your doctor,” Champion advised.
His cohost and friend Robin Robertscommended his posts on X, writing, “Proud of you dear friend for taking care of yourself… and for making your mess your message for others!”
It’s not the first time Champion has shared his skin cancer struggle. In July, he posted a photo of himself with a circular bandage under his eye, saying, “For about 30 years now, I’ve been reminding you guys to regularly have a doctor examine the places on your skin that just don’t look right! I’ve had dozens of skin cancer removed, most simple basal cell… Today a biopsy on this one under my eye!”
Sam Champion shares his ongoing struggle with skin cancer.
Sam Champion/X
While he does get regular skin checks, this “was a spot that I had been watching because I noticed,” Champion shared in a post to his Instagram stories Oct. 3.
“Always keep an eye on your own skin,” he advised — and said that he’s “physically doing great. I started to swell a little bit after the surgery but it’s not as swollen today.”
“Mentally, yesterday was a rough day,” Champion shared. “I gotta say, I just felt a little overwhelmed on the second pass, but I think that’s natural and normal.”
“The damage is the damage, the scar will be the scar,” he continued, adding that he’s not in pain and that his vision was “impacted a little bit” from the numbing injection.
And while he said he spent his life sunbathing, these days, “I haven’t done that in years now. When I’m in a beach chair, I have an umbrella, and I have my sunscreen.”
“Sun exposure, I’ll be very careful with now,” Champion said. “I don’t think legitimate sunbathing where you lay in the sun like a lizard, I don’t think that’s been a part of my recent past and it won’t be a part of my close-to future, either.”
