ESPN's Jay Harris announces cancer diagnosis to Michael Strahan on GMA

Sports anchor, Jay Harris, shared the difficult news that he's battling prostate cancer during a segment on GMA on June 5.

The ESPN star opened up to host Michael Strahan to deliver the news in the hopes he could help others get checked. 

"You have some very personal news you want to share," Michael said to his guest. 

"I was diagnosed with prostate cancer," Jay confirmed."I'm having surgery on Tuesday and I'll be away from Sports Center for about a month to recover."

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He promised that he'll come back "better than ever."

Prognosis

Michael said he was sorry to hear the news and asked: "What is the prognosis for that?"

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Fortunately, Jay clarified: "My doctor is quite optimistic. Per my last scan, nothing has spread. So, once we take out the prostate, hopefully that will be it."

Raising awareness

Jay,60, said that by telling his story he hopes to inspire men to check on their health and have this difficult conversation with their doctors. 

"We don't talk," Jay said. "By not talking [about these issues], and I hate to be morbid, but we sentence ourselves to death."

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Jay revealed that his dad also had prostate cancer, and he's passed that family history down to his 26-year-old son. 

They spoke about the difficulty of talking about issues "below the belt," but admitted men need to take cues from women who have regular OB/GYN appointments.

Get checked

"It doesn't have to be a death sentence," Jay continued. "For most people it is not. So yeah, that's why I'm here, to spread some awareness."

Michael said his father went through the battle too and "came out the other side."

His daughter, Isabella, also went through a well-documented battle with cancer when she beat her brain tumor. 

She spoke of the lesson she learned throughout her journey when she said: "I learned how you should advocate for yourself. I think the whole journey has taught me that."

Talking to GMA, she added: "I think I should have known something was wrong earlier, and I think it's always important to trust yourself and trust your body ... That's something I've taken into account, is always staying positive but always really knowing in your mind if something's wrong."