Taye Diggs on the Importance of Cancer Screenings as a Dad: ‘I Just Wanna Be Around for as Long as I Possibly Can'
Taye Diggs, known for his impressive acting career and philanthropy, is putting a spotlight on something incredibly important to him: helping people get cancer screenings as soon as possible.
“Because of where I am now and because of this partnership with Cancer Guard, there’s more of a relief and a peace of mind that I’m left with as opposed to the mourning,” Diggs said during a chat with SheKnows about his partnership with Cancer Guard. “It’s always great to note that through really rough times, there can be a silver lining, and this is definitely one of them.”
Speaking on Cancer Guard, he said, “This test is simple. It’s prescribed by a doctor and intended for folks over 50. I’m 55, so I jumped in, and it was very simple. Took a couple of minutes, and the amount of time that it takes put up against what could possibly happen on a negative side of things, it doesn’t even compare.”
He added, “When you’ve been through what I’ve been through, there’s so much in life that you can’t control. So I think the things that you can, you should definitely get ahead of it.”
When speaking with Diggs, you know he speaks from the heart. The word that instantly comes to mind to describe him is “sincere,” ready to be his most vulnerable to inspire others. Whether it be about parenting his teen son, or opening up about his own family tragedies, Diggs is all about ensuring people learn from his story.
“Obviously, this is important to me because both my parents were taken from me because of various cancers and because I’m a father and I enjoy bothering my 16-year-old son,” he added. “I love being a father, and I just wanna be around for as long as I possibly can, and this cancer guard test is gonna help with that.”
For those who don’t know, Diggs and his ex-wife, Idina Menzel, with whom he was married from 2003 to 2014, welcomed their son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, born on Sept 2, 2009. And now, with his new partnership,
Diggs has always been open about empowering his son, whether it’s mental or physical health. No matter what, Diggs gets through to Walker by “leading by example.”
He said, “He’s a teenager, so anything I tell him, he immediately ignores or will do the opposite. So instead of telling him what to do, I will just lead by example, and hopefully he can see how things turn out and learn from that. [But] this has been easy because he was very close to his grandma. So when she passed over, that was tough. So now, that is an obvious kind of reminder.”
Not only that, but his son has become quite proactive with his own father’s health. “I’ve been telling people whenever I get the sniffles or whenever he hears me start to cough, he’s the first one to be like, ‘Go to the doctor, fix it, get on it,'” Diggs revealed.
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While the Cancer Guard is meant for those over 50, the Murder in the First alum wants people his son’s age, and in their 20s, 30s, and beyond, to take their health seriously.
“It’s a shame that young people are so stupid,” he laughed. “You feel so good when you’re young. Maybe they’re wired to kind of be as reckless because they can, but it takes a couple of years to realize what you can do to prevent negative things from happening to you.”
Diggs said. “I try to tell ’em to get on anything now, whether it’s stretching, your diet, proper sleep, your sugar intake, all of that stuff. The tough thing is at his age, you don’t really see the results. It’s not until he gets older that to start to see where you could have improved yourself. But the negative stuff that happens can have a positive effect.”
While he’s so passionate about it all, he also recognizes that it can be hard to “get off” your butt and take the tests.
“I can understand how there’s an element of fear, and nobody wants to hear bad news, but the fact that it’s early detection really helps,” he said. “I have no idea that 70% of these cancer cases are not screened. I can take that off the board and make people more aware and give people their power back.”
But in true Diggs fashion, he gave everyone some words of wisdom about handling their health, no matter their age.
“If you don’t look at your own situation, look at the people that you love, the people that you care about, and ask yourself if you wanna spend more time with them. If you do, then do what you can to prevent the opposite from happening, which is getting a jump on the bad stuff,” the House on Haunted Hill star said.
“On the possibility of there being bad stuff: It’s not a death sentence, it’s just a result that allows you to kind of follow up and see what’s going on.”
He finished by saying, “If you have the opportunity, then take it. Life is tough enough as it is. If you got some easy wins, I feel like you should take them. Take as much control as you can and do what you need to do to get your peace of mind. The older I’m getting, the more valuable that’s coming to me.”
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