Friends star fighting late-stage cancer
<p>James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on Friends, has revealed his Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis while appearing on the Today show.</p>
<p>"I was 56 years old at the time, and they screen for PSA, which is prostate-specific antigen," Tyler said. "That came back at an extraordinarily high number. So I knew immediately when I went online and I saw the results of my blood test and blood work that there was obviously something quite wrong there. Nearly immediately, my doctor called me and said, 'Hey, I need you to come in tomorrow because I suspect that you may have quite a serious problem with your prostate.'"</p>
<p>Tyler recently appeared via video call on the HBO Max special Friends: The Reunion.</p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 250px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841929/1-2021-06-22t104132927.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1b44a0de82ab4ceaaf2a2c043b74407c" /></p>
<p>"I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities," he said. "It was bittersweet, honestly. I was very happy to be included. It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn't wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn't want to be like, 'Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer.'"</p>
<p>The actor is undergoing chemotherapy to combat the cancer, and is urging men to get early screenings in order to battle it through an early diagnosis.</p>
<p>"There are other options available to men if they catch it before me," he said. "Next time you go in for just a basic exam or your yearly checkup, please ask your doctor for a PSA test. It's easily detectable. If it spreads beyond the prostate to the bones, which is most prevalent in my form, it can be a lot more difficult to deal with."</p>
