Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian celebrated Thanksgiving by expressing gratitude for his health after undergoing surgery earlier this month following a cancer scare.
Ohanian, who married retired professional tennis star Serena Williams in 2017, took to Instagram over the holiday to share a photo of himself in a hospital bed.
“The nodules were getting bigger & the latest biopsy revealed they’d very likely turn cancerous.
“My mom had breast cancer around this age (41) and then ultimately died from brain cancer a decade or so later. I hate cancer.”
Nodules are lumps or growths of abnormal cells that can develop anywhere in the body, including the lymph nodes, vocal cords, and thyroid.
Ohanian—who shares two daughters with Williams, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., 7, and Adira Ohanian, 1—said he opted for a partial thyroidectomy due to his family history of cancer.
“I wasn’t gonna take any chances,” the entrepreneur wrote.
“The surgery was smooth and I’m extra grateful this Thanksgiving because I got the call this morning that my now-removed-half-of-thyroid was indeed full of some gnarly nodules that were very likely to become cancerous.”
Ohanian said the most difficult part of his recovery process was being unable to lift anything for two weeks. “But big fella will be back at it next week,” he wrote. “And I took my girls to Disney World this week so life is wonderful.”
The investor concluded his post by encouraging his male followers to prioritize their health.
Well Wishes
After issuing his health update, Ohanian received an outpouring of support online, including messages from several prominent figures within the athletic community.“Glad the surgery went well,” replied alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn.
“God Bless brother!” wrote Indian-American former professional tennis player Prakash Amritraj.
“Glad you’re on the mend,” wrote Olympic runner Emma Coburn.
“Nothing will slow you down!” wrote track and field sprinter Talitha Diggs.
Television personality Jill Martin also chimed in, underscoring Ohanian’s message to get routine health check-ups.
“Thank you for being so open and honest and will add you to my prayers. And TEST,” she wrote. “Knowledge is power.”
Bestselling author Gloria Feldt shared a similar sentiment, writing: “Excellent last bit of advice.”
“Men are less likely than women to have routine screening and need the encouragement,” Feldt said. “Glad you are doing well.”
Alexis Ohanian
Ohanian launched Reddit in 2005, the same year he completed his studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.Ohanian founded the company alongside his college roommate, Steve Huffman, and computer programmer Aaron Swartz, who died in January 2013 due to an apparent suicide.
In 2006, Condé Nast acquired the social media platform—now valued at over $20 billion—for only $10 million. Ohanian reflected on the deal in a string of posts published on X, then known as Twitter, on Nov. 1, 2020.
“Because for 16mos worth of work, I was getting more money than my parents had made their entire working lives,” he continued, noting that there were still “lots of things” about management, team-building, and leadership that he had yet to learn.
“But tbh, my mom’s illness weighed on me the most. She was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer just a couple months into founding the company, so the idea of rewarding her life-long unflagging confidence in me with a $10M exit was tremendously appealing.”
Ohanian’s mother succumbed to the disease on March 15, 2008.
In honor of her legacy, the entrepreneur announced the founding of the 776 Foundation, a two-year fellowship program that focuses on supporting young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 on projects or initiatives targeting climate issues.
“I’m tired of this day being a sad day for me and our family,” Ohanian wrote. “So I’m launching the @776foundation (mission: fight inequity worldwide) so we can always remember Mar 15 as the day I began a legacy of good work to honor her.”
