Deion Sanders declares himself cancer-free a year after bladder removal

Deion Sanders is cancer-free after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous bladder, he told The Associated Press.The Colorado head coach was diagnosed last spring with a malignant tumor after a routine checkup found a mass on Sanders’ bladder.

Last year at this time, “I was fighting,” Sanders recalled.“I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine and trying to get back.But this expedited the process.

Last year at this time, I was in a whole different place, and I’m just thankful.”Sanders received cutting-edge robotic surgery, which removes the entire cancerous bladder and robotically reconstructs it, using a part of the intestine as a bladder.His doctor, Janet Kukreja, told NPR that the surgery works well because it uses the body’s own tissue, so a patient’s immune system doesn’t reject the new organ.

“It got me back in the game, got me back on my feet and got me out of the darn hospital and back into the normalcy of my life,” Sanders said.“I’m here to let people know there’s another option if you need surgery.”Prior to the surgery, Sanders’ tumor was considered “very high risk” with a 50-50 chance of recurring or progressing after treatments.

Sanders is expected to be a full-go for Colorado’s fall camp, which he missed last season due to the cancer treatments.While it’s unclear how his absence affected the Buffaloes’ season, they went 3-9 in 2026 after making a bowl game the previous year thanks to Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.“I think the entire team is benefiting,” Sanders said of the lessons learned last year along with new arrivals this spring.“I have the best coaching staff I’ve ever featured.

Everybody’s unified.I just walked out of the weight room.

They’re lifting their butts off, and they can’t wait to go to camp.It’s going to be phenomenal.”...