Deion Sanders Recalls Carrying Bags of Blood and Urine Amid Bladder Cancer

Now cancer-free, Deion Sanders reflected on the difficult days that followed his bladder cancer diagnosis last year.

Sanders, 58, said he was "fighting" last summer, in a story published by the Associated Press on Monday, June 29.

"I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine and trying to get back," he recalled, adding, "Last year at this time I was in a whole different place, and I'm just thankful."

Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado, announced his cancer diagnosis in July 2025. Prior to the announcement, Sanders had his bladder reconstructed using part of his intestine in a robotic surgery performed by Dr. Janet Kukreja.

"It got me back in the game, got me back on my feet and got me out of the darn hospital and back into the normalcy of my life," Sanders said. "I'm here to let people know there's another option if you need surgery."

He added, "I'd be a fool to be blessed the way I was blessed and not sound alarms."

Sanders said the surgery - called a radical cystectomy - crucially "saved me time so I could get back on the field, get back on my game instead of sitting up there in the hospital having a pity party … That's what we're all fighting for is time. We never know how much we get."

During a press conference announcing his diagnosis last year, the Pro Football Hall of Famer advocated for individuals, especially men, to be proactive about taking care of their health.

"This wasn't easy," Sanders said. "Men, everybody, get checked out. Because if it wasn't for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn't have stumbled up on this."

Without detecting the cancer when they did, Sanders questioned if he'd even "be sitting here today."

At the time, Sanders also discussed the blunt realities of his recovery process.

"Dealing with the catheter, dealing with all the stuff I had to deal with," Sanders explained. "Right now I'm still dealing with going to the bathroom. It's a whole life change. I'm going to be transparent, I can't pee like I used to pee."

In a YouTube video released in July 2025, Sanders revealed that preemptively took end-of-life precautions before undergoing surgery.

"I had to make a will," he said. "That's not easy. At all. To think that you might not be here. But you want to make sure everybody's straight."

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 12:21 PM.