John Cena reveals that he had a past skin cancer diagnosis

Speaking to PEOPLE, John Cena has revealed a past skin cancer diagnosis:

“I was stubborn. I didn’t want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me. It’s one of those things where I had a ton of exposure with minimal protection and it caught up with me,” he reveals. “It wasn’t until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec.

I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn’t alone. The stats on this are overwhelming, but as much as I learn about them, those numbers don’t mean anything. I think the best way to hammer home a point is human-to-human connection. And I as a human can tell you: Man, that phone call’s not what you want to get because it is unpredictable and you don’t know how bad it’s going to be.”

Cena continued, “A year later I went back and had another spot removed close to my right shoulder. It shows up like a white polka dot on the side of my chest and on my shoulder. If you watch WWE, you’ll be able to see them.”