Washington Post reporter Gene Park has announced he is battling colon cancer.
The gaming reporter shared his diagnosis on Twitter on Tuesday (5 July) as he linked to a video explaining his journey so far.
An outpouring of messages has since flooded Park’s page as followers have sent their support.
Following the news of his diagnosis, some are curious to know more about the journalist. We explore Gene Park’s age and career so far.
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Washington Post journalist announces cancer diagnosis
On Tuesday, in a post to his almost 94,000 followers on Twitter, Gene Park, who is a gaming reporter at the Washington Post, revealed he is battling cancer.
In the tweet, Park promised his fans and followers that he “will fight it” adding that his fight has “already begun”.
Park opened up on his “fight” and cancer journey so far in a YouTube video, which was also linked in the tweet.
At the start of the video, he clarified that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer and, having underwent surgery in the area last week, is set to start chemotherapy this month.
How old is Gene Park?
As news of the Washington Post gaming reporter’s cancer battle has circulated across Twitter, some have wondered about Gene Park’s age.
Park is currently 40 years old and set to celebrate his 41st birthday at the start of next month (3 August).
He recently reflected on reaching 40 while reacting to a meme about gamers over 30 being old. He wrote: “I’ll be fair when I was a youngun, I thought people in their 30s were old. Hell, I’m 40 now and feeling old.”
Gene Park has been at The Washington Post for seven years
Gene Park has been a part of The Washington Post‘s editorial team for seven years, having first joined in 2015.
At the time, he worked as an audience editor for four years before transitioning into writing as a gaming reporter in 2019.
Before working at The Washington Post, the California State University alum’s experience spanned many different publications, including The Huffington Post.
During his time at The Huffington Post, Park helped with the social media launch of the publication in Hawaii.
Park thanks fans for support
Following his announcement on Tuesday, fans have flooded the reporter’s page with messages of support.
One wrote: “You’re a fighter, bro. Don’t back down. Never back down.” Another added: “Gene, we’re all rooting for you and love you. Let us know how we can help.”
Park’s tweet has since amassed almost 59,000 likes and over 2,800 retweets and even made the Twitter trending page.
Amid the outpour of support, Park shared his thanks in a follow-up post. He wrote: “Overwhelming response. Trying to catch up it’s so much. My heart will burst. Love you all so much.”