Deion Sanders says he feels like his old self a year after surgery: 'I consider myself cancer-free'

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders says he feels like his old — and younger — self again a year after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous bladder.

“I consider myself cancer-free," thanks to robotic surgery that also reconstructed his bladder using part of his intestine, Sanders told The Associated Press after getting a tutorial in the surgical system that was used in his operation.

This being Men's Health Awareness Month, the University of Colorado football coach wanted to get a first-hand look at the Intuitive Da Vinci System, which is less invasive than open surgeries and cuts down on hospital stays and speeds recoveries.

“I was fighting” last year at this time, Sanders recalled. "I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine and trying to get back. But this expedited the process. Last year at this time I was in a whole different place, and I'm just thankful.”

Sanders missed football camps last summer in Boulder as he went through cancer treatments. The Buffaloes finished with a 3-9 mark a year after making a bowl game behind Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

This summer he appears much fitter and energetic as he oversees offseason training.

"If I pull my shirt up, I'm not scarred, it's not flawed. I'm not embarrassed by anything that transpired. I'm elated by everything that transpired,” Sanders said.

At a routine checkup last spring, a CT scan showed a mass on Sanders' bladder. He was referred to the University of Colorado Anschutz, where he met Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.

Sanders, who turns 59 later this summer, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his bladder. Although the tumor hadn't reached the muscle layer in his bladder, it was considered “very high risk,” with a 50-50 chance of recurring or progressing after treatments.

Kukreja is among the small group of surgeons in the U.S. who perform robotic removal of the entire cancerous bladder — called a radical cystectomy — and robotic reconstruction of the organ, which involves having a section of intestine function as a bladder.

“It got me back in the game, got me back on my feet and got me out of the darn hospital and back into the normalcy of my life," Sanders said. “I'm here to let people know there's another option if you need surgery."

He called the robotic system his time machine.

”I'd be a fool to be blessed the way I was blessed and not sound alarms," Sanders said. “When I opened up a club years ago I went to the mountaintop and told all the stations come on to the nightclub. So, why wouldn't I do this? Saved me time so I could get back on the field, get back on my game instead of sitting up there in the hospital having a pity party. It saves you time. That’s what we’re all fighting for is time. We never know how much we get.”

Sanders has spent time recently with his son Shedeur, who's entering his second year with the Cleveland Browns and who will compete for the starting job with Deshaun Watson in training camp.

“He's on vacation, but he's going to the hills in St. Croix right now doing gassers," Sanders said.

Asked what he thought about Hunter, entering his second season in Jacksonville, possibly focusing on playing defensive back after pulling double duty as a DB and wide receiver in college, Sanders said: “I just want him to be happy. I can't tell those coaches how to coach and Travis what he's gifted to do. I just want him happy; that's all I want.”

As for Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the Buffs' starting quarterback and former five-star recruit out of Carrollton, Georgia, who took over the starting role as a freshman late last season, Sanders said those cameos will pay dividends in 2026.

“I think the entire team is benefiting" from lessons learned last year and new faces arriving this spring, Sanders said. “I have the best coaching staff I've ever featured. Everybody's unified. I just walked out of the weight room. They're lifting their butts off and they can't wait to go to camp. It's going to be phenomenal.”

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, front, reacts after working the Da Vinci robotic surgical machine used to remove his cancerous bladder last year during a demonstration of the device by Jason Hart, senior vice president of global marketing for Intuitive, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders talks after working the Da Vinci robotic surgical machine used to remove his cancerous bladder last year after a demonstration of the device Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders talks after working the Da Vinci robotic surgical machine used to remove his cancerous bladder last year during a demonstration of the device Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders talks about working the Da Vinci robotic surgical machine used to remove his cancerous bladder last year during a demonstration of the device Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

NEW YORK (AP) — For those trapped in rubble after an earthquake, survival depends on many factors, including weather and access to water and air.

If their injuries aren't too severe, victims can survive for a week or more, assuming the weather isn't too hot or cold, experts say.

In Venezuela, rescue teams have been racing against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble after two powerful earthquakes shook the northern state of La Guaira last Wednesday. More than 770 buildings were totally or partially collapsed from the earthquakes, and aftershocks continued to shake the region.

Most rescues happen in the 24 hours after a disaster. The chances of survival drop with each day after that, experts say. Most victims are badly injured or buried by falling stones or other debris.

Trapped victims are more likely to survive if they are in a debris-free pocket that prevents major injury while they await rescue, like under a sturdy desk, said geophysicist Victor Tsai from Brown University. Experts call this a survivable void space.

If fire, smoke or hazardous chemicals were released as a result of the building collapse, they may decrease a person's survival odds, said emergency response expert Dr. Joseph Barbera, an associate professor at George Washington University.

Beyond that, having air to breathe and water to drink are crucial as the days go on.

“You could survive a while without food,” Barbera said. “You could survive less without water.”

Temperatures where someone is trapped may affect survival, and temperatures outside the rubble can affect rescue missions.

More than 2,600 rescue workers from around the world arrived in Venezuela with trained search dogs and machinery, the government said. And rescue efforts in La Guaira, the hardest-hit area, appeared significantly more organized on Sunday, after residents expressed frustration and anger about the level of response in the days before.

It can be important for survivors to receive vital medical care before they are removed from the rubble, Barbera said. If not, the buildup of toxins from crushed muscles could make them go into shock after they are rescued.

After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a teenager and his 80-year-old grandmother were found alive after nine days trapped in their flattened home. And the year before, a 16-year-old Haitian girl was rescued from earthquake rubble in Port-au-Prince after 15 days.

The best practices for survival during an earthquake depend on where you are in the world. Building codes in regions with active fault lines are often designed to withstand earthquakes, but that doesn't hold true everywhere.

In many countries, including the United States, the best practices are to drop, seek cover and hang on unless you are close to a building exit. Seek shelter under a heavy table or near sturdy furniture that may yield a survivable pocket if the roof collapses. Cover your face with cloth or a mask to protect from dust and debris.

If you are trapped in the rubble after an earthquake, save your energy and don't overexert. Ration food and water, listen for rescue calls and search for something near you to make noise. If you have a phone with you, conserve its battery and try for help in short spurts each day.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Relief workers carry a man rescued from a building that collapsed in the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

U.S. firefighters from the Fairfax County pull a survivor from the rubble of a building that collapsed in the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Buildings are collapsed and damaged along the coast in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026, following earthquakes. (Miguel Medina, Pool photo via AP)

A rescuer carries a girl pulled from the rubble four days after twin earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

Franklin Rodriguez searches for missing relatives in the rubble of his apartment building, which collapsed in the back-to-back earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Mexican Army rescue workers search for people trapped in collapsed buildings after earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A rescuer from a U.S. search-and-rescue team evaluates access to an earthquake-damaged building in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)