Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian is undergoing surgery due to cancer fears

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian revealed that he recently underwent surgery to remove “suspicious nodules” in his thyroid that could likely become cancerous.

The 41-year-old Reddit co-founder shared the news on Instagram this Thanksgiving, posting a hospital photo alongside adorable snaps of 7-year-old daughter Olympia and 15-month daughter Adira, whom he shares with the tennis superstar.

“After tracking down some suspicious nodules on my thyroid over the past four years, I recently had half of them surgically removed,” Ohanian explains.

‘The lumps were getting bigger and the last biopsy showed there was a good chance they would become cancerous. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer around this age (41) and ultimately died of brain cancer about ten years later. I hate cancer.’

He then expressed his gratitude and noted that the operation went smoothly.

‘I didn’t want to take any risks. “I’m extra grateful this Thanksgiving because I got the call this morning confirming that the half of my thyroid that had been removed was indeed full of some gnarly nodules that were very likely going to become cancerous.”

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian revealed he recently underwent surgery to remove ‘suspicious nodules’ in his thyroid that were likely to become cancer

The 41-year-old Reddit co-founder shared the news on Instagram this Thanksgiving, posting a hospital photo alongside adorable snaps of his 7-year-old daughter, Alexis, who he shares with the tennis superstar; (seen in July)

While joking about missing his usual lifting routine for two weeks, Ohanian shared an optimistic update.

‘To be honest, the worst part is that I haven’t been able to lift in two weeks. But next week the big guy will be at it again. I took my girls to Disney World this week, so life is great.”

He ended his post with a reminder to other men: “To my fellow fathers: Make those doctor appointments. Especially if you are all fathers. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.”

In July, Ohanian says he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which came as a bit of a shock to him.

He explained his health situation in a series of posts on X/Twitter Tuesday, saying doctors told him about the diagnosis after undergoing multiple medical procedures.

“I did a whole bunch of health scans, tests, etc. and found out I have Lyme disease,” says the tech entrepreneur, who is the father of two children with the tennis icon. ‘Wild. Fortunately no symptoms, but I will treat.’

Ohanian explained some of the complicated details behind his diagnosis: “Good cholesterol is too low. Bad cholesterol is just okay. I have to work on that. On the plus side: 822 ng/dL total + 162 ng/dL free testosterone.”

Ohanian said that although he has a family history associated with the condition, he was blindsided by the diagnosis because he was not in the group typically geographically exposed to the condition.

“After tracking down some suspicious nodules on my thyroid over the past four years, I recently had half of them surgically removed,” Ohanian explains.

‘The lumps were getting bigger and the last biopsy showed there was a good chance they would become cancerous. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer around this age (41) and eventually died of brain cancer about ten years later. I hate cancer

“I have a loved one who had it a few years ago, had a lot of symptoms etc. and just couldn’t figure it out until they tested him for it and then found it (successfully treated it as well),” Ohanian said. “I spend so little time in the wilderness/northeast, this was quite a surprise.”

Ohanian said he was “going to grab some antibiotics” to combat the ailment, adding, “Can’t stop me, finch!” with an image of the cartoon character The Tick.

Ohanian emphasized to his 563,700 followers on the platform that he was in no way providing health advice to the masses regarding Lyme disease: “Please talk to a doctor!” he said. “Don’t listen to me for any health advice!”

The Mayo Clinic describes Lyme disease as “a disease caused by the borrelia bacteria,” adding that “people most commonly contract Lyme disease from the bite of a tick that carries the bacteria.”

The clinic noted that while “ticks that can transmit Borrelia bacteria occur in most of the United States,” the condition is “most common in the upper Midwest and the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states” domestically, and ‘is also common in Europe and in south-central and southeastern Canada.’

People are at greater risk if they “spend time where ticks live, such as grass, brushy or wooded areas,” and the best prevention method “is to avoid tick bites when you are outdoors.”

The CDC said that “476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States,” adding that the total consists of people who are “treated based on clinical suspicion but do not actually have Lyme disease” .

The government agency said most cases “can be treated with 10 to 14 days of antibiotics,” and that this leads to a quick and complete recovery in the “early stages” of the disease.

‘I didn’t want to take any risks. I’m extra grateful this Thanksgiving because I got the call this morning confirming that the half of my thyroid that had been removed was indeed full of some gnarly nodules that were very likely going to become cancerous.

The disease has been a controversial topic at times, with a January 2023 report from the American Medical Association which states that ‘a lack of evidence-based guidelines for the care of people with persistent symptoms and increasing misinformation make treatment challenging.’

Ohanian is one of a number of prominent names who have come forward publicly about their health struggles with Lyme disease.

Others include Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Yolanda Hadid and her daughter, model Bella Hadid, who have both been open about their respective battles with the condition.

Bella said last year she underwent 100 days of treatment during a nearly 15-year battle with the condition.

Musical artist Justin Bieber said in January 2020 that doctors diagnosed him with Lyme disease after he faced nasty comments about his appearance.

“While a lot of people kept saying that Justin Bieber looked like a f*ck, meth, etc., they didn’t realize that I had recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease, and not only that, but I had severe case of chronic mono affecting my, skin, brain function, energy and overall health,” the Grammy-winning artist said on Instagram.

Actor Ben Stiller told it The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 that he had been diagnosed with the condition in 2010.

“I got it a few years ago in Nantucket, Massachusetts,” Stiller told the outlet. “My knee got infected and they couldn’t figure out what it was, then they found out it was Lyme. I am now symptom free, but Lyme never leaves your system. It’s very difficult.’