The popular travel writer and TV host reveals he is home after cancer surgery

Travel writer and TV host Rick Steves took to social media to share an update on his health following his prostate cancer diagnosis in August.

On Tuesday, the 69-year-old updated followers on the recent surgery to remove his prostate in a lengthy post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Thank you for all the support since I first told you about my prostate cancer diagnosis,” Steves wrote. “I promised you an update when I shared this news in August, and I’m happy to say that I’m now home after successful surgery and a night in the hospital. (Packing light for my return to home, I left my prostate there.)”

The great news is that she said the doctor told her there was no sign the cancer had spread.

While the “Rick Steves’ Europe” host previously revealed he didn’t have to spend a night in the hospital before his diagnosis, he likened the experience to another “amazing trip.”

In its most recent update, it found itself doing the same.

“Since I was first diagnosed, I’ve thought of cancer as the last adventure in a lifetime of travel,” she continued. “And as always, I’m excited to share a trip report with you.”

He said his journey began with “a blood draw to screen for prostate cancer” and for someone his age, a “PSA score of 4 or higher would be considered ‘abnormal'”.

Steves had a PSA score of 55.

“In my case, I had options (basically non-surgical treatments or just cutting it out),” he added, noting that “psychologically, I was inclined to take the ‘ectomy’ route, to cut it out.”

“And in my case (where the cancer is, how it’s acting, and my willingness to deal with — or live with — the side effects), surgery seemed like my best option,” he wrote. “After speaking with my doctor and carefully considering each treatment strategy, I chose to undergo a robotic radical prostatectomy.”

The morning of her surgery, as Steves described it, there was a “moment of prayer with my surgeon and Shelley (my guardian angel through the physical and emotional white water of this journey).”

“I wake up feeling great, talking and joking, I think they’re smart…clearly on some serious medicine,” he continued. “Fortunately, my doctor has a good report: the surgery went well, there was no sign of spread, and the cancer appears to have been deeply embedded in my prostate, which is now in the lab.”

He also added that he “won’t really know how it went” until the lab reports are in. And that’s when I expect to hear the words “cancer free.” “

In the post, Steves was also grateful to “live in a corner of the world where hospitals aren’t being bombed or flooded… that I have access to a brilliant @UWMedicine surgeon and the best technology at Seattle’s @FredHutch Cancer Center … that I am surrounded by the love and support of so many.”

She revealed that her first day home included naps and reading messages of encouragement from fans everywhere.

“It wasn’t that long ago that people called cancer ‘the C word,’ or if they called it by its name, they did it in a whisper,” Steves added. “As anyone with cancer learns, it permeates every corner of our society, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of or to hide from, and when it comes to older men, it looks like they’re being screened for cancer (a simple blood test you can request) from your GP) is a smart idea.”

Steves went on to reveal what’s next for him, where he expects to have his “catheter removed, after which I’ll be on the continence learning curve. Then I’ll get the lab reports. (I’ll make sure to keep – informed you.)”

“In the meantime, I’m making a point to celebrate the vitality that fills my world… to give thanks for all that works well in my body… and to ponder what the communities, technologies, and living environments of which we enjoy. It’s not accidental: it happens when good people care and do good things,” he wrote.

“I look forward to many more years of happy travels, and of course I will be sure to take you!” he concluded.