Terry Bradshaw opens up about mortality after beating cancer twice: 'Am I going to heaven?'

Pro Football Hall of Famer and longtime "FOX NFL Sunday" co-host Terry Bradshaw opened up Wednesday on William Shatner and Melanie Shatner Gretsch's "No Time But Now" podcast about confronting his mortality after battling two forms of cancer, explaining how the health scares deepened his Christian faith and changed the way he approaches his marriage, family and remaining years ahead of the release of his new memoir.

"My thoughts were about dying. Am I going to heaven? Am I a good enough man? Have I been a good enough Christian? Have I been kind to people? Am I going to heaven?" Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw's reflections followed two cancer diagnoses that he previously disclosed publicly in 2022. Fox News Digital reported at the time that Bradshaw was diagnosed with bladder cancer in November 2021 and underwent surgery and treatment at Yale University Medical Center. Months later, an MRI prompted by neck pain revealed a Merkel cell tumor, a rare form of skin cancer, in his neck.

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Bradshaw recounted on the podcast that he initially kept his first diagnosis private and focused on whether doctors believed it could be treated rather than dwelling on the possibility of dying.

"I didn't feel panic. I didn't think death. I'm pretty sure I said, ‘Well, curable.’ Yeah. The doctor thinks in six weeks," Bradshaw said. "And so I never once went, ‘Oh, I got to get my house in order. I got to do this.’ I just said, ‘OK, curable.’ That's what I needed to hear."

The second diagnosis came shortly after Bradshaw completed treatment for bladder cancer. He said doctors found Merkel cell cancer in his parotid gland area, leading to surgery that removed 27 lymph nodes followed by six weeks of radiation treatments.

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The National Cancer Institute describes Merkel cell carcinoma as a "very rare" skin cancer that tends to grow quickly and can spread at an early stage, frequently beginning on sun-exposed areas, including the head and neck.

Bradshaw told Shatner that although he understands cancer could return, his faith helped shape how he views death.

"No, death did not frighten me. It did not in any way frighten me. Now, that's easy to say because I haven't been told, 'You're dying. Well, you're going to die,'" Bradshaw said.

"I know I'm going to die. And when that time comes, how will I handle that with grace and strength and an understanding that God loves me? I'm going to go to heaven. I'm going to see my family again with it. Yes, that's going to be my, that's going to be my strength," he continued.

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The former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said surviving cancer also changed how he approaches life with his wife, Tammy, including a desire to travel more and spend their time together differently.

"I want her to have more happiness than she ever thought possible. To me, that just makes, that fills my spirit. That fills me with joy," Bradshaw said.

"To know that, you know, that I'm a good husband now. I'm a good husband now. And I've got a great wife and I want her to know what it's like to really feel loved."

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Bradshaw's comments came ahead of the Oct. 13 release of "Looking for Terry: A Memoir," his first memoir in more than two decades. Publisher Harper Select said the book will examine Bradshaw's battle with cancer, depression, faith and the public persona he developed during more than five decades in football and television.

Bradshaw was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft and led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships, winning Super Bowl MVP twice before his 1989 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He remains a co-host of "FOX NFL Sunday," with FOX Sports confirming Bradshaw's return for the 2026 NFL season.