Skip to main content
‘INCREDIBLY SHOCKING’

Olympic Skater Maia Shibutani Has Cancerous Tumor Removed

“This wasn’t the news I was hoping for, but I am beyond thankful that it was detected early and that my surgery went well.”

GettyImages-1190135338_y35wwo

Kevork Djansezian/Getty

By Tracy Connor

Earlier this week, Olympic ice skater Maia Shibutani—one half of the brother-and-sister duo nicknamed the “Shib Sibs”— revealed she had a tumor removed. On Friday, she announced that doctors had determined the mass, discovered during an ER visit for a stomach virus, was malignant—a renal cell carcinoma. “This wasn’t the news I was hoping for, but I am beyond thankful that it was detected early and that my surgery went well,” she wrote on Instagram. The 25-year-old athlete said doctors told her no further treatment is required “at this time.”

View this post on Instagram

It’s been a really tough week. Back in October, I got sick and had to go to the ER while I was in New York. It ended up being a stomach virus, but they ran some tests that showed an abnormality - it was recommended that I have a follow-up appointment to take a closer look. After an MRI earlier this week in LA, I was told that I had a small mass on one of my kidneys. Receiving this news has been incredibly shocking and difficult to handle. I’ve been so scared, but I have had the full support of my family, doctors, and nurses. I had surgery yesterday to remove the tumor. The surgery was successful and I was able to keep the rest of my kidney. I am in recovery at the hospital and have been in a lot of pain post-surgery, but I am grateful. My doctor said there is a 60/40 chance that the tumor was malignant versus benign (we will know soon), but I am young, healthy, and feel fortunate that this was detected so early. While this is deeply personal news, I don’t want rumors to spread, or for anyone to worry in case people say they saw me at the hospital. (Next time, just say “hi”) • I am going to try and stay positive and focus on my recovery. I appreciate all of the support and good vibes sent my way. My fingers are crossed, too. ❤️

A post shared by Maia Shibutani (@maiashibutani) on

Read it at People

TRENDING NOW