The Vice President of the Bavarian State Parliament and former TV judge, Alexander Hold, 62, is suffering from prostate cancer. “The carcinoma has already grown so close to the neighboring nerves that the operation will be challenging. What further therapies will be required will become apparent after the operation,” said the Free Voter politician on Friday.
As a result of a routine preventive examination, suspicious values and an unclear finding were initially identified, it said. The cancer was only diagnosed after several further examinations. The prostate, which is affected by a malignant tumor, should be surgically removed in April.
“I was like most people: you suppress the possibility of a serious illness and, given the variety of everyday stresses, you don’t think much enough about the fact that health cannot be taken for granted. The bigger the shock that a diagnosis like this triggers is all the greater,” said he. Despite the diagnosis, he is “very confident about the future. I generally have a very good immune system and a positive attitude,” said Hold.
He has now consciously made his illness public for two reasons: On the one hand, he can only ask people and colleagues for understanding with openness, and at the same time he wants to point out the dangers of cancer: “Whether breast, urological, colon or skin cancer – please get preventative care, early and regularly! For all types of cancer, the earlier something is detected, the better the chances of recovery.”
Since 2018, Hold has been a member of the Bavarian state parliament for the Free Voters. The year before, his party had even nominated him as a candidate – albeit without a chance – for the federal presidential election. He previously achieved nationwide fame through the Sat.1 program “Richter Alexander Hold”.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Germany. As with all types of cancer, early detection increases the chances of recovery. Almost 90 percent of those affected in Germany survive. Nevertheless, more than 15,000 men die from prostate cancer every year in Germany. With a share of around 11.6 percent, prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer when it comes to cancer deaths among men in Germany.