(NewsNation) -- Tarek El Moussa is crediting a keen-eyed HGTV viewer for saving his life and career after noticing a health issue in the early TV days.
The "Flip or Flop" star posted a video on Instagram Sunday recalling the time he found out he had not one but two forms of cancer.
"A fan's email saved my life," El Moussa captioned the post. "Going into Season 2 of 'Flip or Flop,' I remember getting an eerie email from my production company saying they received an email from the network."
He added, "The email said, 'I'm a registered nurse from Texas. I noticed there's a lump on Tarek's neck. This is not a joke. He needs to get it checked out.'"
El Moussa had previously had the spot checked out before but was given a nasal spray and allergy medicine. He decided this time to go see a doctor.
"They did a biopsy. It came back as atypical, meaning it could or could not be cancer," he shared. "I went in for exploratory surgery, which means they were just gonna open me up, see what's going on. I woke up five hours later. My entire family looking down on me, crying."
Tarek El Moussa finds out he also had testicular cancer
The HGTV star said the surgery revealed he had thyroid cancer. He had his thyroids and lymph nodes, which the cancer had spread to, removed
Following the surgery, he discovered an" irregular testicle exam" while examining old medical records and decided to explore further.
During an appointment related to his thyroid cancer, El Moussa went for an ultrasound, when he discovered he also had testicular cancer.
"I knew something was wrong. Twenty minutes later, I found out I had testicular cancer," El Moussa said. "So now, I'm 31, two different cancers, thinking, 'I'm gonna die. I'm a young father.'"
HGTV was considering canceling 'Flip or Flop'
El Moussa noted that HGTV considered ending "Flip or Flop" because of the diagnoses, but he decided to fight to keep the show on the air.
"My response was, 'The show's not done. We're gonna film my a- rolling into the surgery. I'm gonna film until the end,'" he said. "It was really important to me that I didn't quit, to prove to myself and my family that nothing would stop me from building what I was building."
The television star has been in remission for 10 years and said that he ended up quadrupling his business.