Flip or Flop’s Tarek El Moussa shares the ‘lowest point’ of his long cancer battle

Flip or Flop‘s Tarek El Moussa is well-known for his seemingly boundless enthusiasm and relentless positivity. Despite the countless public dramas he’s faced over the last year, Tarek’s Instagram page is basically a refuge of workout clips, optimistic messages, and cute pics of the two children he shares with ex-wife and business partner Christina.

Of course, one reason for the optimism has to be that Tarek’s battle against cancer has gone on far longer than the fallout from he and Christina’s divorce, and the stakes are far higher. Tarek first revealed initial complications with his diagnosis a couple of years ago; since then, he’s also shared that he’s actually been battling two different types of cancer: thyroid cancer was the first to be diagnosed, but doctors later found testicular cancer as well.

This past winter, though, fans were relieved and overjoyed to hear that Tarek’s latest checkup revealed no cancer at all. And, in the months since, Tarek’s continued his breakneck filming and public appearance schedule, with seemingly no effect on his energy (one of the first things to go during chemotherapy) or overall vigor.

It was a bit surprising, then, to see one of Tarek’s most recent social media updates: a throwback photo from what he would go on to call “one of the absolute lowest points” of his entire life. We’ll let the man speak for himself:

NOT embarrassed to share!!! This was one of the absolute lowest points of my life!! After beating cancer twice I had a horrific back injury. Over the course of 10 months I lost 50 pounds from all the pain meds which prevented me from wanting to eat and I was nauseous all the time. I remember those days…in this photo I'm pale white….eyes are black…. and I was 169 pounds!! My clothing didn't fit and it looks like I'm wearing drapes! This photo is a reminder than anything is possible with hope. While I went through this it was the first time in my life I wanted to quit! Thank god I didn't…or I wouldn't be standing tall today!! Reminder everyone, anything is possible! You just have to believe! T

A post shared by Tarek El Moussa (@therealtarekelmoussa) on Sep 19, 2017 at 1:56pm PDT

Regardless of your thoughts on Tarek and Christina’s split and the Flip or Flop fallout that followed, it’s still great to hear that Tarek is doing well and to see that he’s able to look back on his lowest points with hope. We wish him a continued strong recovery and many more cancer-free days ahead.

Flip or Flop continues to air on the regular, marathon-style, on HGTV; new episodes will premiere in early 2018.

(Photo credits: Does Tarek El Moussa have cancer still via Instagram)