Ninja has today shared the positive update his fans and the wider streaming world have been waiting to hear: He is “officially cancer-free” after a shock melanoma scare sparked by a regulation check-up last month.
The famed Fortnite icon stunned streaming fans late last month with the news he had a “dark spot” on the bottom of his foot that was eventually diagnosed as a melanoma. While Ninja—real name Tyler Blevins—was optimistic because the doctors caught it so early, the gaming world has been waiting with bated breath.
Thankfully, the quickly-staged excision was a major success, Ninja shared in a promising update today. The lesion that was biopsied near his original worrying dark spot “showed only mild atypia,” the star steamer explained, and it has since been entirely removed. “As of right now, I am officially cancer-free,” Ninja declared before thanking everyone for “all the prayers and kind words this last week.”
While streaming for the first time in two weeks today, he explained: “We got [the mole] punctured and twisted and cut out… turns out it was early stages as melanoma so we rescheduled a new surgery to remove everything around it. It’s been eight days now, I have nine stitches, I can’t walk normally. We don’t know that we got everything but if the doctors come back and say they got it all then I’m good to go and I’ll just get a check-up every three months this year.”
The streaming world has, unsurprisingly, rejoiced after Ninja’s April 4 update, with many declaring it “the best news ever.” Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate their favorite creator’s happy update; one particularly happy streaming fan even suggested Ninja is the “undefeated, undisputed type.”
While everything ended up okay with Ninja’s skin cancer scare, it is a timely reminder to always schedule check-ups and keep a close eye on your skin at all times. The Fortnite star echoed a similar message when he was first diagnosed, asking fans to “please take this as a PSA to get checkups.”
For those looking to book checkups, you can find free skin check facilities in the U.S. by visiting the AAD website or you can perform a preliminary self-exam.
It’s also important to practice good sun safety at all times; the Cancer Council reports more than 95 percent of all diagnosed skin cancers come from UV radiation exposure. Applying proper sunscreen, wearing hats and well-fitted clothes, prioritizing time in the shade, and wearing tinted sunglasses are all key.
