Survivor star, 43, reveals he has cancer and the 3 symptoms he ignored

A “Survivor” fan favorite is facing his most difficult challenge yet.Ken McNickle, a finalist in season 33 of the hit reality show, shared his cancer diagnosis this week in an Instagram post and, in a follow-up video, revealed the three signs he ignored.“I deliberated for a while about whether to share or not, but I ultimately decided to because I’m hoping this chapter in my story can help others,” McNickle captioned the original post, which featured a carousel of images of him at a doctor’s appointment, looking contemplative with medical patches attached to his chest.“I’ve made some mistakes in the process and should have taken care of myself better and sooner,” McNickle admitted, urging others to be proactive about treatment.

“If you have a health concern, don’t sit on it,” he said.“Get yourself checked.

There’s no valid reason not to.Not one.”In a follow-up video, McNickle outlined the three symptoms and warning signs he ignored, introducing the clip with a “trigger warning.”“If you don’t like gross medical details, get out now,” he cautioned.“I waited almost a year until my skin was tearing open to get this checked,” he said, pointing towards his heart.

“Had I gone in sooner, it would have been a simple procedure — not a three-inch hole in my chest.”McNikle added that despite seeing blood in his stool every morning, he delayed seeking treatment for nearly three months, at which point it was “confirmed” that his “insides were tearing open.”While the kind of cancer McNikle is battling remains unclear, blood in the stool is a telltale sign of colorectal cancer.An ER doc previously called the symptom the “one condition where you should go to the emergency room today.”McNikle, a former model and father of one, also admitted that he postponed seeking medical attention until a groin growth had reached alarming proportions.

“I waited until that lump on my testes had grown to the size of the other two ...