Roman Reigns News: Leukaemia Care responds to fans accusing WWE of faking disease

What's the story?

Roman Reigns kicked off last night's episode of Monday Night Raw with some great news. The Big Dog, after basking in the warmth of the WWE Universe and thanking everyone for their support through his difficult time, revealed that his leukaemia was in remission.

It was a beautiful moment shared by him and the millions watching around the world, though some considered the situation a bit suspicious.

In case you didn't know...

Back in October, Reigns stunned the world with a heartbreaking announcement. He opened up his life to the fans that night, stating that back before he came to the WWE, he had a fight with leukaemia earlier on in his life and that it had come back.

Sadly, he had to step away for a while to go forward with treatment, relinquishing the Universal Title in the process. Luckily, the doctors caught it early, and he told the WWE Universe that he'd be back soon to reclaim what was rightfully his.

There are four main types of leukaemia: acute myeloid (AML), chronic myeloid (CML), acute lymphocytic (ALL), and chronic lymphocytic (CLL). Along with what stage someone is in and what kind of treatment they are given, along with many other factors, the time it takes for their leukaemia to go into remission and the side effects they may face while battling it varies drastically.

There are quite a few fans out there questioning the sincerity of the case of Roman Reigns. The moment Reigns revealed that his leukaemia had returned after eleven years, some doubters arose to claim that the company was simply using this as a ploy to get him cheered.

After his announcement of his remission last night, after only four months, they again questioned it. Thankfully, Leukaemia Care, a blood cancer support charity, stepped in to clarify a few things.

The heart of the matter

Late last night, Leukaemia Care went to Twitter to address the situation regarding Roman Reigns. They wanted to clear up any confusion that some may have and explained why it's possible that Reigns was able to come back after such a short amount of time.

Morning! In response to some of the tweets we're seeing online about @WWE and @WWERomanReigns we wanted to have a little chat about leukaemia/leukemia, relapse and perceptions of cancer. #WWE @davemeltzerWON https://t.co/iIXgrBKKz3.A.THREAD! pic.twitter.com/thhKt17gTZ

— Leukaemia Care (@LeukaemiaCareUK) February 26, 2019

The charity focused on the three main questions surrounding Reigns, focusing on why he's in remission so early, why we haven't seen a lack of hair or weight loss and why he doesn't "look like a cancer patient."

They were quick to point out a key piece of information which was that we don't know what kind of leukaemia he has. In the four revealed above, we can divide them into two categories, acute and chronic.

Acute Leukaemia requires aggressive treatment to save a patient, while Chronic Leukaemia is one that never really goes away, treatable but never curable. Considering Reigns has been dealing with this for over a decade, we can make a guess that whatever kind he has, it's more than likely chronic.

As far as hair and weight loss, patients can lose weight and hair, gain weight, or have no loss whatsoever. There are so many factors that play into this, and simply having leukaemia or going through treatment doesn't mean one will have the exact same responses. At the end of the day, everyone reacts to the disease and treatments differently.

What's next?

We don't know when Roman Reigns will officially get back in the ring. Just because he's in remission, it doesn't mean he's ready to wrestle at this moment. But to hear that he's been able to battle back like this in four months is heartwarming.

It's important to separate fact from fiction. When he made the announcement back in October, Reigns made sure to do this by speaking as himself, as Joe Anoa'i, a married man and a father of three.

Those who have never dealt with cancer or had loved ones that did are on the outside looking in with this situation. Considering what's shown in media, it's not surprising that many have a certain picture in their head of what a cancer patient is supposed to look like.

And four months is a short time, yes. For us. For those not dealing with something like this. But for someone living with leukaemia or any form of cancer, and for their family who worry every day about the next step and wonder "what happens next", four months seems like forever. When those questions pop into your head for over 120 days, repeatedly, four months feels like a lifetime.

Like he said last night, when it comes to this situation, he hit it out of the park. We're not just happy for him, but for his wife, his children, and all those close to him who were hoping and praying to hear good news on February 25th.

If you'd like to know more about Leukaemia Care, check out their official website, there's a lot of information there, and some incredibly inspiring stories of those battling the disease.