'Eyewitness News's' Sam Champion Is Recovering From Skin Cancer Surgery

Following beloved ABC weatherman Sam Champion 's recent absence from Eyewitness News , fans who have grown accustomed to seeing him on their small screens began to worry — after all, most news personalities try not to miss a broadcast unless it's for a pretty serious reason.

However, folks didn't have to wonder about his reason for missing the show for very long, as he took to social media to share a recent update about his health.

Indeed, Sam has been dealing with a health issue and is using his platform to raise awareness about his condition and share updates regarding his treatment. Here's what we know.

What happened to Sam Champion?

On his Instagram page, Sam Champion shared a health update with his fans: A few weeks ago as of writing, the anchor was diagnosed with skin cancer. After having what looked like just a "tiny spot" below his right eye checked out by a dermatologist, Sam found that it was, indeed, basal cell carcinoma.

Since then, he has undergone surgery to have the cancer removed and has taken fans along every step of the way. During an Instagram livestream, he answered some questions about his impending procedure: "We're going to go ahead and do the skin cancer removal surgery tomorrow morning," he shared at the time.

"First of all, no big concern. I've had dozens of them removed before," he continued. "They're gonna do Mohs [surgery] ... which means that they cut a little bit, then they take what they've cut and run it under a microscope, look for clean edges to see if there's any cancer there ... and if they have got it, then they've got it, and they close."

The next, he then shared an update from the hospital following the several different waves of removal. In each of them, he seemed to be in high spirits, and even though he expressed disappointment that the procedure took longer and went deeper than expected, he continued to share positive updates.

On Oct. 2, he posted a photo of his stitches with a positive caption: "Long day. And we got it all! Now we begin the healing phase! Thank you all for sharing your stories and your kind-thoughts and prayers!"

He continued, "Watch your skin and ask your doctor to examine anything that doesn’t seem right to YOU!"

Sam has been using his platform to spread awareness about skin cancer, urging fans to get checked out if they have any suspicions.

In a more recent post , he shared a slideshow of his experience with a lengthy caption encouraging folks to get their skin checked.

"A three-week skin cancer journey down to just a few images," he said. "Being aware of your skin, and touching it everywhere, is so very important. Because the time to get concerned is when you notice something changing in shape or color or texture. Then, go to a good dermatologist that you trust."

As mentioned, Sam has now returned to Eyewitness News and seems to be recovering well, to the delight of his fans and coworkers.