“Below Deck Mediterranean” star Joe Bradley’s world was rocked by devastating news on the most recent episode of the Bravo reality show.
On the Monday, June 15 hour, the returning star—who previously appeared on Seasons 9 and 10 of “Med”—received a voice memo from his mother, in which she revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The news brought Bradley to tears as he took a moment away from his duties aboard the Akira One to call both his sister and his mom. Despite tension between him and his former friend Nathan Gallagher, Nathan immediately showed his support for Joe, before Captain Sandy Yawn also stepped up to help.
Joe’s Mother Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
Bradley’s mother sent him a voice memo after the first charter, toward the end of the episode.
“Hi son. I want you to listen to me. I went for a mammogram. It’s cancer,” she told him. “I’m fine. I’m gonna fight it. I’m your mom, and I’m [not] going anywhere. I love you.”
Stepping off the boat to call his family, Bradley first rang his sister, telling her he could get on a flight home immediately. “The first thing she said to me was, ‘Make sure he finishes,’” his sister told him, before adding, “When they know the start date of the treatment, I’m gonna be there.”
He then called his mother, who also insisted she wasn’t going anywhere and didn’t want him to stop work.
“I want you to stay, because you can’t do anything here,” she told him.
Support from Nathan and Sandy
As Joe was on the phone with his family, crouched on the ground, in tears, Nathan went off the boat to check on him.
“My mom’s got breast cancer,” Joe told Nathan, who hugged Bradley tightly, consoling him. Nathan then gave him some privacy before cluing Captain Sandy in on the news. In a confessional, Sandy acknowledged that Joe was “very close” to his mother, calling the health update “devastating.”
“When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ all you can hear is that word,” she added. “People who work on a boat is crew. Yes of course we have a job to do, we have charters to do. But we’re still human. And I care deeply for them.”
As Joe was still talking to his mother, Captain Sandy went off the boat to speak with him, gave him a hug, and promised to connect them both with a friend who is also a breast cancer surgeon at Johns Hopkins University. That friend later reassured them that the diagnosis is not a death sentence, which was exactly what they both needed to hear.
Sandy, who had her own liver cancer battle in 2015, also told Joe that he has to be a source of light and encouragement to his mother amid her fight.
Update on Joe’s Mother
In an interview with Us Magazine ahead of the new season, Joe recently offered up an update on his mother’s health.
“She’s OK now. She had four tumors, and it has been a battle,” he told the outlet earlier this month.
He also praised his job for giving him the means to help his mom.
“But the beauty of this life is that this is my only financial income,” he added. “The yachting industry has not only saved my life, but it’s quite literally [saved] my mom’s life financially. It’s a blessing.”
New episodes of “Below Deck Mediterranean” air Mondays on Bravo.
