Former reality star brings message of hope
By Black Like Moi
Known for his long flowing hair, inviting smile and charming personality, Ahmad Givens, better known as Real from Real Chance for Love became a house hold favorite as he and his brother sought for a chance at true love. As some of the earliest Black male reality stars, they set the path for others.
Unfortunately, Real has endured a serious health scare. Earlier this year, he shared with the world that he was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. He immediately began chemotherapy and used social media to share his diagnosis with his fans and also to advocate for others to get screened.
Although he is younger than the national guidelines for get-ting a colonoscopy, his story helped to spread the word about the prevalence of the disease in the Black community and the importance of intervention.
This week he took to Instagram to update his fans and supporters:
“NOW LOOK Y’ALL, I don’t do selfie pics. Some people do, but not me. So I’m only showing y’all this because there are people with cancer who stop working out and just give up,” he captioned his photograph.
“I lost 30 pounds and my muscles collapsed. Now I’m working out and gained my muscles back even stronger than before. Working out is a huge part of beating cancer even if you’re just doing 10 minutes of cardio a day,” he added.
In addition to sharing his own success, he also offered words of comfort and support for others who are going through the same ordeal:
“Some people are older so that’s all they can do. If you plan on lifting weights, lift light with more reps. Fifty percent of people who workout do a lot better when it comes to beating cancer. Never give up the fight against cancer. You can beat it and so will I. I love you all,”
