Published Aug 18, 2020

An Honest Peek at Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Shaunyl Benson Shares How She & Illusionist Husband Criss Angel Care for Son Johnny

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Johnny Christopher & Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Criss Angel’s son, Johnny Christopher, has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) a cancer of the bone marrow for nearly 5 years
ALL is caused when the bone marrow creates too many immature white blood cells, which are critical to the immune system since they fight infection
ALL is one of the most common cancers in children, and chemotherapy and immunotherapy are typically used for treatment

Watching your child battle cancer is one of the hardest experiences a parent can go through. Illusionist Criss Angel and his wife, Shaunyl Benson, know this far too well as their son Johnny Christopher continues to battle leukemia. Despite their struggle, the couple have inspired so many of us with their honesty and real look into the dual role as parent and cancer caregiver.

Johnny, now 6, was a little over one-year-old when diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2015, and underwent treatment for three years before the cancer went into remission. However, in December 2019, Angel shared that Johnny’s cancer had returned and he immediately started undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Throughout Johnny’s cancer journey, the family has been extremely honest with how they’re handling Johnny’s routine, and Shaunyl Benson is giving fans an inside, behind the scenes, look into what it’s truly like.

In an IGTV video, Shaunyl Benson posted a long-anticipated update on Johnny’s treatment progress, and it sounds promising. According to her post, Benson was happy to share that Johnny is nearly done with his chemotherapy cycle and once that’s completed he’ll go back to immunotherapy treatments. From there, in about two months, he’ll start maintenance therapy. Benson says that in order to avoid long and tiresome days waiting in the clinic, she learned from his nurses how to administer Johnny’s medication safely, and she gives us an inside look into the process.

“This motherhood thing really covers a lot of different careers, so proud of our superstar,” Benson wrote. “It's almost been 5 years since his initial diagnosis and he takes it all like a champion.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CD7FYndFfa-/

Both Angel and Benson have been extremely transparent about Johnny’s cancer journey, and have used their platforms to not only spread awareness concerning pediatric cancer but create a charity dedicated to raising money for research.

Navigating an ALL Diagnosis

ALL is a cancer of the bone marrow, where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes a type of white blood cell. These blood cells are critical to the immune system, as they help fight infections by attacking bacteria, germs, and viruses. Signs of ALL typically include fever as well as unexplained bruising, and the disease is diagnosed through bone marrow and blood tests. Leukemia is the most common cancer diagnosed in young children, and three out of four pediatric cancer patients will be diagnosed with ALL.

During Johnny’s treatment, he’s been undergoing immunotherapy a treatment method which has shown historic promise. Immunotherapy drugs harness a patient's own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells, and in the video Benson shares that he’s completing his last round of Blincyto which is an FDA approved immunotherapy drug used to treat some types of ALL. The medication

Dr. Steven Rosenberg explains how immunotherapy has changed the face of cancer treatment and research

The Chemotherapy Experience for ALL: A Survivor’s Experience

Chemotherapy is no walk in the park, just take it from pediatric cancer survivor Justice Wexler who battled ALL himself. While he’s grateful that he was able to overcome the disease, he admitted chemo was an extremely difficult experience to get through. By undergoing treatment, he’s now dealing with heart disease as a side effect.

“He’s a cancer survivor, but now we’re dealing with heart disease,” Justice’s mother, Jayne Wexler, tells SurvivorNet. “This is because of the chemo. Chemo induced cardiomyopathy.”

Despite the side effects from chemo, and the experience of chemo itself, Justice says he feels stronger because of his cancer journey and encourages all children going cancer to not be ashamed if they’re facing a diagnosis.

“If you’re ashamed of what you’ve been through, don’t be,” Justice says. “It makes you stronger as a person. While I would trade what happened to me in an instant, like if I’m failing in school, whatever, it’s like, I beat cancer.”

ALL survivor Justice Wexler breaks down the chemotherapy experience

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