Women’s pro wrestling star back in ER as she battles lung cancer
Tanea Brooks, best known as AEW wrestler Rebel, shared an update Monday as she continues to battle lung cancer.
The 47-year-old star posted a photo to her X account from a hospital room.
"Touch my body tender because feeling makes me weak," she wrote. "Just another visit to the ER, I'm OK. My meds are starting to wreck Havoc on my body but we are figuring it out. That's the update, that's the post."
Friends and fans were quick to hit her replies with love and support.
"Hey girl," wrestling star Bully Ray wrote. "Sending positive vibes to you from all of us in the @BustedOpenRadio Nation. Stay Strong!!"
"You have so many us Pulling and Praying for you!" another person wrote. "It WILL get better! SO sorry your going through this."
You can see her post and the replies here.
She first revealed her health battle last month via a tear-filled video on her Instagram.
"I wanted to come on here and give you guys an update on my health," she said. "As you know, May of 2024, I was hospitalized for what I thought was cryptococcal pneumonia, which was fungal masses on my lungs. And I did a year-long antifungals, and after a year of antifungals I was not getting better. Along the way there was, it wasn't a very smooth sailing journey to where I am right now. There was infections, ruptures, tumors … so, I had to address those as well. And after a year of not getting better, I decided to go to the Mayo Clinic and see if I could get treated by them. And they found that it was not cryptococcal pneumonia this whole time, and that it is primary pulmonary lymphoma, which is cancer in the lungs. And, if there is a best case scenario, then I have it."
She also announced that she developed a disorder while going through her ordeal.
Tomorrow, I start rehab because along this tumultuous journey, I've picked up a little disorder called Functional Neurological Disorder and it has taken my ability to walk. I now walk with a walker. And my ability to speak clearly. I don't know if you can tell but sounds like I bit my tongue. I've also lost my ability, some ability of function, of my right hand. I kind of have like a claw hand. So, it's hard for me to use my right dominant hand. I can't really write and little things like that. So, I'm starting rehab tomorrow, and I'm very hopeful that I can gain some of that functioning ability with this. It's a very aggressive, intense therapy. It's Monday-through-Friday, 8-to-5, so it's like a full-time job. So, I'm very hopeful for it. So that's about it. That's the short story, and I just wanted to let you guys know. I've been posting things here and there, but I wasn't clear. There was a lot of other stuff that happened. I fell and fractured my orbital bone. I've had hemorrhaging. There has been a lot on the way to here and now."
Rebel is still listed on AEW's active roster, but Sports Illustrated noted that she hasn't competed for the company since 2022.
"To address the cancer that I have, lymphoma, I have a very serious infection right now, so I'm on IV antibiotics, and I have to clear this infection first before I can address the cancer and once that is finished, hopefully in December, I will go in to determine what kind of treatment I'll be getting – chemo, radiation, immunology — and we'll start there and we'll kick it's ass. I'm hoping that will start around the first of 2026. Hopefully, I'll be keeping you posted on my journey.
"Thank you," she said tearing up again. "Thank you for your support. I love you."
Read the original article on pennlive.com .
