In a recent interview with The Bloodline With LLS podcast, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns discussed being diagnosed with leukemia for the second time in his life, as well as the side effects this time around.

“My spleen had enlarged and I think that was something that kind of is one of the more short-term serious side effects that I had to deal with, just involving the physicality of being in the ring and God, I’m so lucky that fortunately, nothing happened. Thank God that I worked with some really, really talented performers and some great professionals and guys who are as violent and as physical as our job can be, they’re very good at what they do.

No one hit me in the wrong place and caused a rupture or anything like that, because as I’m sure you know, being out of town, in an arena, on the road away from your family, if something like that happens and you get rushed to the emergency room, go into surgery, it just can, along with how serious it is, it can just cause an emotional rollercoaster for everybody, so that was something that we really had to take into account and get me out of the ring and that’s why it all just started to happen so abruptly, but I think the main thing I was feeling was the fatigue, always feeling tired, not quite sure why, even if I werre able to get good nights of rest, even had a couple of days of recovery being off the road, it just never felt like it got off of me.

It was just that monkey on my back at all times, but along with that, I always thought it was that when you’re working hard and chasing your dreams and you’re busting your tail every single week trying to get the job done, especially when you’re performing at an elite level, at the very top of the biggest company in the world, as far as sports-entertainment, these are just the riggers that come with the schedule of the lifestyle, so I tried to, as we say in the wrestling business, I tried not to sell it, but thank God we’re taken care of, between the company and my doctors, my oncologist doing our blood tests and our CVC’s and keeping track of that stuff, I was able to see my white blood cells getting out of whack again.”

The interview is available in full at this link.