Is Joe Exotic dying? 'Tiger King' star claims he's suffering from cancer
Spending his days in federal prison for involvement in a murder-for-hire plot, 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic is yet to receive treatment for his prostate cancer. The 58-year-old recently revealed that his cancer may have spread to his pelvis and stomach. Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage was found guilty of participating in a murder-for-hire plot against fellow 'Tiger King' star Carole Baskin. Apart from that, he was also convicted of 17 federal charges of animal abuse, including killing tigers at his exotic animal park.
Joe Exotic reportedly said that he will refuse medical help if cancer progresses to stage three or four, and claimed that he’s "ready to die". Exotic first revealed his cancer diagnosis in May. Back then, he mentioned that he had not received treatment during his time in a Fort Worth prison.
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"I have been waiting for a colonoscopy and endoscopy since October. Medical treatment in a prison is worse than at any humane society for dogs, " Joe said. In an interview with The Sun, Joe noted that he has experienced hip and pelvis pain, and stomach aches for over a year and that he walks with a limp. Joe then said that he intends to get a biopsy for his prostate and bladder, a colonoscopy and an endoscopy while at a specialist medical center. Back in May, Joe spoke of his diagnosis and said, "The prison has approved testing to verify what stage it is in. My body is tired, I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat." He added, "This is crazy how they put people in here and just let you die. The things that I’ve seen and the dead people I’ve seen wheeled out of here is outrageous and it’s time that our president and our politicians hear the truth.”
Joe was sentenced to 22 years in a federal lockup in January 2020. However, he has always maintained his innocence. He even tried to seek a pardon from the former president, Donald Trump but was unsuccessful. A group of lawyers called 'Team Tiger' are trying to secure his release.