Gregg and NeNe Leakes were faced with some harsh news after The Real Housewives of Atlanta couple decided not to move forward with chemotherapy following Gregg’s cancer diagnosis.
In Sunday’s all-new episode of the Bravo show, the couple learned that Gregg still had “circulating tumor cells” in his body, despite the Leakes patriarch undergoing surgery to remove the diseased portion of his colon after his Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis.
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The doctor urged Gregg to undergo chemotherapy for six months, saying that even a low number of cancerous cells in the blood can multiply into a large number. Both the Leakes were clearly shocked to get the bad news, with Gregg saying, “My faith went through the roof.”
“I don’t want to do it,” he added to his wife.
“Gregg is very spiritual,” NeNe explained to the cameras. “I feel like in a case like this, you really have to lean on your faith to get you through.”
In the end, the couple agreed they needed more time to decide their next course of action, all while Gregg continued forward with his new vegan lifestyle.
Earlier in the season, the couple received a recommendation by Gregg’s doctor to go through with the chemotherapy, but the two wanted to pursue more natural remedies.
“Chemo is not something that Gregg is thinking about doing at the moment. Obviously we hear all the report of people doing chemo and being very sick. So he feels like if there’s any other options that can take, I’d rather take those options and let chemo sit on the back burner for now,” NeNe explained in a November episode. “I’m very much on the same page as Gregg. I’m not sure I would do chemo. We’ve watched chemo destroy people, so it’s not something that he is even interested in.”
He added, “I’m deciding to really take my life and use it as a mouthpiece for other people. I just want to use my life in a way to help someone. So I can say I’m Gregg Leakes and I have cancer, but I will be a survivor.”
But NeNe knew it would be a lot on her part as well.
“Gregg is definitely on a rollercoaster. His emotions are all over the place. He cries, he’s short patience, he’s frustrated,” NeNe explained. “I feel like because he is weak at this moment, he needs someone who is going to be strong, so I feel like I have to be his rock as he has been my rock for so many years.”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
Photo credit: Instagram/NeNe Leakes
