Actor Edward James Olmos may be best known for his role as Admiral William Adama on the series “Battlestar Galactica.” He has also acted in the films “Selena,” “Stand and Deliver” and “Blade Runner” among others. He has been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and an Oscar, but recently, he faced his biggest challenge.

In an interview with Mando Fresko on Mando & Friends, Olmos revealed a health battle he had previously not told anyone about publicly. He started the conversation by mentioned how important diet and exercise are when it comes to your health. Then, he opened up about a potentially fatal medical condition he faced recently. He explained that the experience brought him “really close” to death, yet he managed to survive.

Olmos told Fresko, “I had throat cancer.” He added, “December 20 was my last radiation” treatment for the cancer. Just one week before that was his final chemotherapy treatment.

Olmos went on to explain that his doctors had a warning for him before they began treating him for throat cancer. He explained that his five doctors told him, “We do not know what you’re going to sound like.” The radiation and chemo were directed at his throat and vocal cords, so there was no guarantee what his voice would be like afterwards. Yet, he had no choice but to press forward with treatment.

Then, Olmos opened up about the fact that he has had multiple friends who didn’t survive their battle with cancer. He explained that while any type of cancer is very serious, throat cancer “is really difficult.” He added that he went through treatment for “months and months and months.”

One of the things that made his battle with cancer extra difficult was the location of the cancer in his throat. That made it almost impossible for him to eat and drink anything. He had to get water intravenously.

As Olmos mentioned at the beginning of the interview, he believes diet and exercise are very important, and he explained that he is “grateful” and “thankful” that he was physically “in good condition” to fight the cancer. He added that he hasn’t cut back on prioritizing exercise either.

Fighting cancer took a lot of strength from Olmos. He explained that he “lost 55 pounds” and “all my muscle.” Since his treatments stopped in December, he has been focusing on regaining his strength and muscle mass. He said, “I swim a mile a day at least, sometimes two miles a day I’ll swim, every day 7 days a week.” That’s not all. He also lifts weights and does rowing.

Olmos described his cancer battle as “an experience that changed me totally. The understanding of how wonderful this life is.”

Watch the video below to see this full interview for yourself.