Ali Fedotowsky-Manno’s husband Kevin Manno has been diagnosed with cancer.
The Bachelorette alum, aged 40, and her 41-year-old husband used Instagram on Sunday to make a joint announcement. They shared that Kevin has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. Medical professionals discovered two ‘malignant spots’ on the right side of his body and he will soon undergo surgery to remove them.
The pair also expressed that the illness ‘very treatable’ and maintained a positive a positive attitude, vowing to ‘not stress’ over the diagnosis.
‘We are always transparent and candid. Our lives are like open books,’ Kevin expressed. ‘We feel it is important to give you all a brief update on what is happening within the Manno family, but I am not overly worried.’
Kevin went on to say, ‘As Ali recently mentioned, I had to undergo a scan – a biopsy followed by a CT scan. The results confirmed that I have thyroid cancer,’ he acknowledged. ‘However, I am not panicking.’
The pair — who wed on March 3, 2017 — also took to the caption to further explain that the two ‘malignant spots on his right side’ and the cancer are ‘in one lymph node, but we won’t know for sure until his surgery.’
The couple explained that Kevin is scheduled for surgery for Monday, February 10, but it will be up to the surgeon whether he will have half of his thyroid or his entire thyroid operated on.
‘The prognosis is very good,’ the TV presenter said. ‘It looks good. It’s going to be something that I can go in, February 10 is the surgery, and we’re going to knock it out and it’ll be behind us.’
And the duo — who share a daughter Molly Sullivan, eight, and a son Riley Doran, six — also confirmed that they had already consulted with another oncologist for a second opinion on the diagnosis and treatment options moving forward.
Luckily, the doctor insisted papillary thyroid cancer was one of the lesser aggressive forms of cancer.
‘The first thing he said to us was, “If you have to get cancer, this is the cancer you want to get,”‘ Ali recalled.
‘It’s changed my perspective on every day life and truly, you never know when you’re going to wake up tomorrow and things could change,’ she added.
The pair then encouraged their combined 973.2K followers to share their personal experiences with thyroid cancer and how they managed the stressful condition.
‘We are specifically curious about stories related to whether or not you or someone you know had their full thyroid or half of it removed with the cancer only on one side,’ the pair wrote.
The duo wrapped the caption thanking their fans for their outpour of support and unwavering kindness during this time of uncertainty.
‘Thank you all for the love and support you’ve always shown us. We are grateful ❤️,’ they finished.
Fans flooded the comments with well wishes, hope and stories of experience with the disease with positive outcomes.
One follower penned: ‘I literally had my left thyroid taken out Jan 21st. Mine unfortunately is not the easy cancer and if I hadn’t advocated for myself and found my surgeon things would be so much worse.
‘Kevin will make it through way easier than me. I managed my pain without narcotics and stopped taking the Tylenol & Aleve 2 days ago. You’ll do great!’
Another chimed in, ‘I’ve just fully recovered from this cancer. I had half removed in the hopes of keeping the other half but the cells tested positive after the first surgery.
‘Worse having to have 2 surgeries! I would just go with full removal in the first instance. Wishing well ❤️.’
Ali recently appeared on the hit reality show Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test but was ‘medically withdrawn’ from season 3 after a finger injury.
In the second episode, she injured her hand during a challenge, which led to her leaving the competition. She later expressed via social media that the injury was a severe sprain.
Back in 2021, the actress packed up her family’s bags and relocated from Los Angeles, California to Nashville, Tennessee. She and Kevin ditched Hollywood for a quieter life.
Initially, the transition was ‘difficult’ for her, as she missed her friends and familiar surroundings. Over time, she adapted and grew to appreciate their new life in Nashville, according to PEOPLE.
Ali shot to fame in 2010 after appearing on The Bachelorette during its 6th season. She became the lead after competing in Jake Pavelka’s season of The Bachelor earlier that year.
