Sam Neill shares blood cancer diagnosis and treatment – ‘I’m not afraid to die’

Sam Neill is a beloved actor perhaps best known for his role in the Jurassic Park series as Alan Grant. The actor has now revealed some personal news about his health which has concerned his fans quite a lot.

Keep reading to learn more…

Sam Neill shared some concerning news with fans. During his press tour for “Jurassic World Dominion” in March 2022, the actor was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Shutterstock

After his diagnosis, the actor began chemotherapy but unfortunately, the chemo-therapy treatment failed which lead the actor to try out a new “very expensive” chemotherapy drug. According to the actor, he will require monthly doses for this drug but for now, he is ‘cancer free.’

“I’m not afraid to die, but it would annoy me,” Neill said in an interview. “Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know? We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big. But as for the dying? I couldn’t care less.”

READ MORE

The actor has signed a contract with the experimental drug manufacturer that if he is still alive after 4 months, the rest of his treatment will be free. “Have you noticed I have a slight look of lab rat about me?” he said in an interview. Adding that after he received the dose of the medication, he felt “shithouse” for two days.

Shutterstock

“I’m not off the hook as such, but there’s no cancer in my body,” the New Zealand actor shared. He said his diagnosis has given him a new perspective on life.

“It’s much easier to identify who other people are, but you hardly ever ask the question of yourself: who am I? You know, [when I was sick] I would look in the mirror and see a completely different person, not a hair on my head, no eyelashes, the beard had fallen off on a pillow somewhere in hospital. I was unrecognizable,” the “Peaky Blinders” actor shared.

“I would look at this alien…Really? Is that you? So that begs the question, who are you? And so I had to think about that. I mean, it’s never really interested me to sort of reflect on myself. You know, sometimes you go, you fucking idiot, why would you do that? But that would be as bad as it would be.”

This introspection is what lead the actor to write his memoir titled, “Did I Ever Tell You This?” He assured everyone that it was not a “bloody cancer book.”

Shutterstock

 “I found myself with nothing to do, and I’m used to working. I love working. I love going to work. I love being with people every day and enjoying human company and friendship and all these things. And suddenly I was deprived of that. And I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’” the actor said.

“I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realized it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’ll write about that tomorrow, that will entertain me.’ And so it was a lifesaver really, because I couldn’t have gone through that with nothing to do, you know.”

While he has a positive leaning perspective on things, he was not shy to admit the toll his diagnosis had taken on him. He said, “I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments. But those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just pleased to be alive.”

We are sending Sam Neill our good wishes and hope his treatment serves him well. Please join us in sending the actor some positive vibes! Share this article with other fans of the actor so they can pray for his speedy recovery as well!