Australian athlete Jess Fox has revealed that she has had a tumour removed from her left kidney in a harrowing health update shared to social media.
The three-time Olympic gold medallist took to Instagram on August 28th with a carousel of photos of herself recovering in hospital.
In the accompanying caption, she revealed that thankfully the surgery went “really well” and that she was now on the mend.
Sadly, however, for the 31-year-old, she has been forced to withdraw from the Canoe Slalom World Cup, which is currently taking place in Europe.
“It’s been a whirlwind over the last few weeks, but I’m all good – just a couple of gnarly new scats, a bit less kidney, and a whole lot more toughness,” she captioned the post.
“I’m feeling positive, super grateful, and happy to be home. Looking forward to taking it easy over the next few weeks as I recover, and building towards being back on the water again.”
She went on to thank her medical team, friends, and family for all the love and support they had shown her in recent weeks.
It’s currently unclear how long Jess was experiencing symptoms, or when she first became aware of her tumour.
Shortly after Jess made her post, proud sister (and fellow Olympic athlete) Naomie shared a tribute of her own on her Instagram stories.
“She’s always been the most mentally strong person I know and even more so the last three weeks. Even in the shittiest moments in life, Jess is somehow calm, so positive, focussing on what she can control and how to get better.”
Jess made Australia proud at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as a flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremony alongside Eddie Ockenden.
Over the course of her Olympic career, she has won three gold medals, one silver, and two bronze – two of which were from Paris.
She is also currently the reigning Olympic champion for both the women’s C1 (canoe) and women’s K1 (kayak) events.
