It's been a while since he braved the elements in Africa, but Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn probably hasn't seen anything like this: battling cancer.  The 35-year-old was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Hodgkin's disease, which affects a person's lymph nodes.

And perhaps the first casualty is his trademark locks.  What you see on the photo on the side is, well, gone, replaced by a more cleaner look.  In an interview with The Early Show, he explained that it's in preparation for three months of chemotherapy, and later, radiation.  "I figured I'd shave it off before it started falling out on its own," he said.  "I've had this mop of hair for so long, and cutting it, I was a little nervous.  But I think it's what it represented.  'All right, I have cancer, and I got to shave my head because it's going to fall out on its own.'  That was the emotional part of it."



And then, there's the harder part, of trying to know why you were diagnosed with the disease.  He was, after all, living an active life, especially supporting his soccer-geared charity.  "You always figure, 'Why me?' but I don't know," he said.  "Cancer doesn't choose ... It can get to you, but that's why I'm here.  I want to let everyone know that it's okay.  You can fight it.  You can get through it ... I'm ready to battle this and crush it out of my system, and hopefully educate and inspire others who are facing the same problems right now."

After an event for his charity, Grassroots Soccer, Zohn started having itchy skin, night sweats and weight loss.  A check-up later found a swollen lymph node, which is a sign of Hodgkin's disease.  Luckily for him, the cancer is easily cured, even in its advance stages.  Nevertheless, the diagnoses came as a surprise to him, considering that he lost his father to cancer when he was 14.  "Your life flashes before your eyes," he said.  "But it's a good thing.  I think I'm excited for this, and I'm ready to tackle it head-on."

"I think it's all gonna be okay," he added, confident with the support of family, friends, and his girlfriend, fellow Survivor castaway (although from the Amazon) Jenna Morasca.  "I'm ready."


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: CBS News
(Image courtesy of PR Photos)