<div><p>US basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has gone public with his fight against a rare form of leukemia, urging regular doctor visits and improved health care for the poor.</p><p>Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time most valuable player who retired from the National Basketball Association in 1989 with a record in points scored and a slew of other titles, told CNN Tuesday he has been diagnosed with a blood cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia.</p><p>The 62-year-old said he first learned of his condition in December 2008 after suffering unusual hot flashes, and has been coping well with treatment.</p><p>"I'm doing very well," he said. "But you have to find a specialist that understands your condition. You have to get your blood checked regularly. And you have to take your medication.</p><p>"If you do that, you can manage this particular form of leukemia and live a very productive life with minimal intrusion into the things that you love to do," he said.</p><p>Abdul-Jabbar, who has become a spokesman for the company that makes the drugs that are treating his leukemia, also urged people to "see a doctor regularly, go for regular checkups... get regular bloodwork done.</p><p>"I think someone in my position who gets public attention can do a lot of good because a lot of people are faced with this condition and they think it's a death sentence," he told CNN.</p><p>"I know, for myself, I had a very good friend who died just three or four years ago from a different type of leukemia. But when that happened, it was devastating, and I thought I had the same thing and that I had months or weeks to live."</p><p>According to the National Cancer Institute, about 4,800 people are diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in the United States each year.</p><p>Abdul-Jabbar also pressed for the US government to take better care of its poor, who often cannot afford treatment, a key issue among US lawmakers who are grappling with President Barack Obama's drive to reform the healthcare system.</p><p>"We have the best technology in the world. We're supposed to be the can-do nation. And our health care system really fails so many people, especially poor people, you know, people who don't have the means to go to private doctors," he said.</p><p>"I think we should change that. I think it's absolutely crucial and certainly, it's a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone."</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=63066541&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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