Govind Sandhu, head of global music partnerships for TikTok Australia, received a diagnosis of stage-four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after his knee was swollen following a half-marathon in Sydney in September.
“So today was the first day that I got a preliminary diagnosis of my condition,” Sandhu said in an emotional video posted to Instagram on Tuesday but made, he said, “over the weekend.”
“Over the last six weeks, I haven’t been feeling well at all,” he added, saying that he finished the half marathon and has felt like he has been going downhill since.
He said his knee was swollen following the half marathon, but the attributed that to an injury received during trailrunning.
His other symptoms included “really bad body aches and sweats and everything that would make you think it was the flu, or COVID,” he said.
Sandhu continued to deteriorate for about a month, he said, and then sought medical care through a series of doctor visits.
He expects to start chemo soon, which will be “aggressive because the cancer is aggressive,” and said he’d keep everyone “updated on his progress.”
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“AND just like that life has forever changed & I’m about to embark on my biggest challenge to date,” he wrote on the post.
“Was absolutely shocked & devastated in the moment. Lots of tears, lows & moments of ‘why me’ as you can imagine,” he added.
He also strongly encouraged his viewers to get their own checkups and blood tests done if they are not feeling well, and offered thanks to the medical staff who had worked with him.
Sandhu, 38, appeared fit and healthy in a number of photos posted to his Instagram account.
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, he has worked at TikTok for three years.
Comments on social media were overwhelmingly supporting, according to the Daily Mail. (Sandhu appeared to have limited the visibility of the comments on his post at the time of this writing.)
“It messed with the wrong person,” one commenter wrote. “You’re gonna crush this, mate!”
“You’ve smashed everything you’ve ever put your heart and mind to, homie. This is no different,” another wrote.
“Reality is, I have a chance to fight this f**%%* so I’ll take the W there,” Sandhu concluded his post. “Life is beautiful, I am lucky & grateful for what I have. The mission continues.”
