Gerry Turner is giving an update on his life-changing diagnosis.
The Golden Bachelor alum, 73, appeared on the April 15 episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast and opened up to hosts Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt about how he’s been doing since learning he has an incurable cancer.
On the show, Turner expressed that he hasn’t had to change his everyday life since his diagnosis.
“I feel great,” he said. “Until I have any symptoms, there’s no treatment. So I go frequently for blood tests. I’m on, like, a six-month schedule now, and I feel optimistic because the doctor said, ‘Well, when you turn 75, we’re going to have to go three-month increments.’ So it’s telling me that at least he expects me to live another couple of years to get to that. But the bottom line is I feel really good.”
Pitt then asked Turner if he feels frustrated at all by there being a “waiting period” before receiving any cancer treatment or if he’s simply grateful that his health hasn’t been significantly impacted yet.
“I mean this sincerely, from the time I received this diagnosis, it’s a privilege to live like you’re dying,” he explained. “I don’t turn down anything. I feel like I’m more open to emotions. I’m more open to experiences.”
“The person I’m dating will say, ‘Do you want to go do-’ And before she even gets out the rest of the sentence, I will say yes. So I’m in on everything,” he continued. “And it makes life exciting because you kind of in the back of your head feel like you’ve got a lot of living to do and you don’t know how long you have to do it, so don’t turn down anything. And so, in a way, it’s really a good thing.”
In December 2024, Turner first revealed to PEOPLE that he was diagnosed with a slow-growing “bone marrow cancer” called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. His disease was discovered after visiting an orthopedic surgeon for a recurring shoulder injury.
“It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it,” he said at the time.
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia transforms white blood cells into cancer cells which build up in the bone marrow, the spongy material inside the bones where blood cells are made, according to the Mayo Clinic. The disease most commonly occurs in males over age 70.
“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it,” Turner said.
The retired restaurateur explained that without “knowing what the short-term, medium-term and long-term effect of that disease was,” he wanted to be intentional in his decisions.
“I wanted my life to continue on as normal as possible, and that led me to believe that as normal as possible more meant spending time with my family, my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, my granddaughters,” he shared.
Turner added that despite the initial denial, he’s adopted Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You’re Dying” as his philosophy.
“I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve gotten to the point where I can be somewhat comfortable with it,” he told PEOPLE of his diagnosis. “I’m going to pack as much fun as I possibly can into my life and enjoy every moment. And when I’m gone, I’m gone, but I’m not going to have regrets.”
