US basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has gone public with his fight against a rare form of leukemia, urging regular doctor visits and improved health care for the poor.
Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time most valuable player who retired from the National Basketball Association in 1989 with a record in points scored and a slew of other titles, told CNN Tuesday he has been diagnosed with a blood cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia.
The 62-year-old said he first learned of his condition in December 2008 after suffering unusual hot flashes, and has been coping well with treatment.
"I'm doing very well," he said. "But you have to find a specialist that understands your condition. You have to get your blood checked regularly. And you have to take your medication.
"If you do that, you can manage this particular form of leukemia and live a very productive life with minimal intrusion into the things that you love to do," he said.
Abdul-Jabbar, who has become a spokesman for the company that makes the drugs that are treating his leukemia, also urged people to "see a doctor regularly, go for regular checkups... get regular bloodwork done.
"I think someone in my position who gets public attention can do a lot of good because a lot of people are faced with this condition and they think it's a death sentence," he told CNN.
"I know, for myself, I had a very good friend who died just three or four years ago from a different type of leukemia. But when that happened, it was devastating, and I thought I had the same thing and that I had months or weeks to live."
According to the National Cancer Institute, about 4,800 people are diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in the United States each year.
Abdul-Jabbar also pressed for the US government to take better care of its poor, who often cannot afford treatment, a key issue among US lawmakers who are grappling with President Barack Obama's drive to reform the healthcare system.
"We have the best technology in the world. We're supposed to be the can-do nation. And our health care system really fails so many people, especially poor people, you know, people who don't have the means to go to private doctors," he said.
"I think we should change that. I think it's absolutely crucial and certainly, it's a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone."
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