An update on the life-altering diagnosis that Gerry Turner has received is being provided.
During his appearance on the episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast that aired on April 15, the Golden Bachelor alum, who is 73 years old, discussed his health with hosts Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt. He said that he has been doing well ever since he found out that he had an incurable disease.
Turner said on the program that he has not been need to make any adjustments to his day-to-day life since he received his diagnosis.
He said, “I am sensational.” “There is no therapy available to me till I have any symptoms. Therefore, I often go to have my blood checked. At the moment, I am following a timetable that is around six months long, and I am feeling positive since the physician has informed me that when I reach the age of 75, we will have to go to increments of three months. Therefore, it is indicating that he anticipates that I will have to wait at least a couple of more years before I can reach that point. When it comes down to it, however, I am in a pretty good mood.
After that, Pitt inquired of Turner if he is in any way aggravated by the fact that there is a “waiting period” before he receives any therapy for his illness or whether he is just thankful that his health has not been badly harmed with regard to the disease yet.
The explanation that he provided was as follows: “I mean this in all sincerity, from the moment I received this diagnosis, it is a privilege to live like you are dying.” There is nothing that I refuse to do. There is a sense that I am more receptive to feelings. “I am more receptive to new experiences.”
The guy I’m dating will ask me, “Are you interested in going to do something?” In addition, I will respond with a positive answer before she even finishes the remainder of the phrase. Therefore, I am aware of everything,” he went on to say. “And it makes life exciting because you kind of in the back of your mind feel like you have a lot of living to do and you don’t know how much longer you have to do it, so you shouldn’t turn down anything,” she said. With that being said, it is, in a sense, a really positive thing.
In December of 2024, Turner disclosed to PEOPLE for the first time that he had been diagnosed with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, a kind of “bone marrow cancer” that progresses slowly. The diagnosis of his ailment came about as a result of his visits to an orthopedic physician for treatment of a persistent shoulder issue.
At that moment, it seemed as if ten tons of concrete had just been dumped on me. And for a long, I was a little bit in denial about it, and I didn’t want to recognize that I was wrong,” he remarked at the time.
As stated by the Mayo Clinic, Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia is characterized by the transformation of white blood cells into cancer cells, which then accumulate in the bone marrow, which is the spongy substance found within the bones and is responsible for the production of blood cells. Males over the age of 70 are the most likely to be affected by the condition.
Turner said, “Unfortunately, there is no treatment available for it.”
Because he did not know what the short-term, medium-term, or long-term effects of that sickness were, the retired restaurateur indicated that he wanted to make choices with purpose because he did not know what those effects would be.
“I wanted my life to continue on as normal as possible, and that led me to believe that as normal as possible more simply meant spending time with my family, which included my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, and my granddaughters,” he added.
In addition, Turner said that despite the initial rejection, he has accepted the mindset that is expressed in the song “Live Like You’re Dying” by Tim McGraw.
“I have been used to it. “I’ve reached a point where I can be somewhat comfortable with it,” he said in response to PEOPLE’s inquiry about his cancer diagnosis. “I am going to make the most of every minute of my life and try to squeeze as much enjoyment as I possibly can into it. I’m not going to have any regrets about my departure, but when I’m gone, I’m gone forever.