The Summer House Season 8 officially wrapped last week when castmates reunited with Bravo host Andy Cohen in New York City to rehash their time together in The Hamptons.
The reunion revisited relationship issues between married cast members Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula and took a closer look at Carl Radke’s reasoning for breaking off his engagement to Lindsay Hubbard. Paige Desorbo defended her hilarious confessionals regarding Danielle Olivera. Fans of the popular Thursday night show also finally found out what happened between West Wilson and Ciara Miller after filming wrapped, and it’s safe to say Wilson is about to learn all about being villainized on social media.
Sure, Summer House is full of typical reality TV drama we love to watch as a guilty pleasure. But thanks to first-time housemate Jesse Solomon, it’s also about how to navigate tough situations in life, especially health scares. So, if you find out you have a serious illness, ask yourself (or sing) the following question: “What would Jesse Solomon do?”
Jesse Solomon’s Battle with Testicular Cancer
In 2017, Solomon was getting a routine physical and STD screening when he experienced some unusual pain in his testicle. After an ultrasound and additional testing, Solomon’s doctor told him it was likely cancer. Solomon had surgery to remove his testicle and was officially diagnosed with stage 1 testicular cancer. He was 24 years old and otherwise in great health so he attended regular checkups and recovered fairly quickly.
Then about a year later, he was diagnosed with stage 2 testicular cancer after his doctor found cancer in his lymph nodes. He underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and relied heavily on his family for support.
Although he only told his family about the cancer when he was first diagnosed, he decided to join Summer House and share his story to hopefully help other people in similar situations. His five-year checkup was featured on the show along with a big milestone-Solomon is officially cancer-free!
How Jesse Solomon’s Story Can Help You
Solomon’s cancer journey makes it clear that serious medical emergencies can happen to anyone, regardless of your age or health. You can help yourself and the people you care about by making a health care directive now.
What Is a Health Care Directive?
A health care directive is a legal document commonly used in estate planning. It’s often referred to as a medical power of attorney, living will, or advance directive. Health care directives typically include instructions for the medical treatment you want to receive if you have a terminal illness, are permanently unconscious, or have some other end-stage condition. Some examples are your wishes regarding:
- Life-prolonging treatment
- Artificial nutrition and hydration
- Pain medication
- Do Not Resuscitate Orders (DNRs)
You can also choose someone you trust, called a health care agent, to make medical decisions on your behalf if you can’t. This person must act in your best interest and make the same choices you would make for yourself in line with your values and beliefs. Presumably, Solomon would choose bestie West Wilson if he had to pick one of his housemates, but Ciara Miller used to be a nurse and would likely be a good choice.
How Can You Get a Health Care Directive?
It’s relatively simple to make a health care directive. Many hospitals and health care providers have forms you can request and use but these might not be complete. You can use online resources like FindLaw’s do-it-yourself estate planning forms to create your own health care directive. Some options even have sections where you can state your wishes regarding organ donation, body disposition, and any additional instructions you want to include.
If you have questions or think you need help making your health care directive or other estate planning documents, you can use our attorney directory to find an estate planning attorney near you.
If you want to learn more about Solomon’s journey, grab your favorite flavor of Loverboy and stream the latest season of Summer House (and the Summer House After Show) on Peacock. You can also catch up on other Bravo favorites like VPR and the RHONJ.
Related Resources:
- Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Split: Who Gets What When Unmarried Couples Split? (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
- Does Jen Shah Need a Power of Attorney in Jail? (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
- What is the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act? (FindLaw’s Learn About The Law)
