Actor Sam Neill reveals he battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while promoting “Jurassic World Dominion”

“Jurassic Park” star Sam Neill revealed that while he was on tour promoting “Jurassic World Dominion” last year, he was also battling stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

75 years old told the BBC said in an interview Friday that he first learned of his diagnosis in March 2022 after a lump was found in his neck.

Neil initially believed his prospects were grim: “I’m a bastard, I’m dying,” were his first thoughts, he told the BBC.

Fortunately, Neal said she is now in remission, although she still faces “dark days” and difficult challenges, such as losing her hair during her first round of chemotherapy – a treatment she still receives. is doing, even though his tumors are gone.

“More than anything I want my beard back,” Neil told the BBC. “I don’t like the way my face looks at all.”

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that affects the lymphatic system, and occurs when white blood cells grow abnormally, and tumors spread throughout the body. Mayo Clinic. It is more common in people over the age of 60 or in people with suppressed immune systems.

Although cancer has been a difficult obstacle for Neil, he said he prefers to focus on the positive and live life to the fullest.

“I’m not afraid of dying. What I don’t want to do is stop living, because I enjoy living so much,” Neill told the BBC. “I took it as an adventure, quite a dark adventure, but an adventure nonetheless. And the good days are just wonderful and when you get good news it’s absolutely exciting.”

Neill told the BBC that his “severely aggressive” cancer inspired him to start writing about his life – a distraction that turned into a passion for the “Peaky Blinders” actor, and the stories he wrote. It quickly became a complete memory of him. His illness and his 50-year career: “Did I ever tell you that?”

“I didn’t think I had a book in me, I just thought I’d write some stories. And I found it increasingly fascinating,” Neal told the BBC. is – I didn’t have a ghostwriter – but it came out in record time.”

He added that his book is not about cancer, but about his life experiences, such as meeting Barbra Streisand.

“The last thing I want is for people to obsess about cancer because I’m not really interested in cancer,” Neal said. “I’m not interested in anything else but life.”