Published Aug 31, 2020

Chadwick Boseman Was Inspired to Keep Working, While Secretly Fighting Cancer, After Visiting Children Battling the Disease

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Inspiration & Strength While Fighting Cancer

Chadwick Boseman visited and communicated with young cancer patients while secretly battling colon cancer himself
Boseman passed away at the age of 43 after a four year long battle with colon cancer
Meeting people who are going through the same experience can be a valuable coping mechanism for patients, and experts tell SurvivorNet that it’s important to enjoy activities you love while undergoing treatment

News of Chadwick Boseman’s passing from colon cancer stunned his Black Panther fans, but we aren’t the least bit surprised to hear about how he spent his time while fighting the disease. Off camera, Boseman continued to bring a smile to so many children’s faces who were battling health challenges of their own. During his secret battle with stage 4 colon cancer, the Black Panther figure recalled how meeting pediatric cancer patients inspired him.

Boseman recently passed away from stage 4 colon cancer at 43-years-old, after secretly undergoing treatment for four years. Boseman’s family broke the devastating news on his social media accounts, revealing that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016, but the disease had progressed. The announcement understandably came as a shock to all of us, especially seeing that he portrayed iconic roles such as T’Challa in Black Panther, Jackie Robinson, and Thurgood Marshall while undergoing treatment as well as a number of other films.

Marvel movie Black Panther symbolized one of the first representations of Black communities in a superhero franchise, and a viral video of Boseman talking about meeting two young boys battling cancer, who had been declared terminal, brought him to tears.

“There were two little kids, Ian and Taylor, who recently passed from cancer, and throughout our filming I was communicating with them,” Boseman says. “They were both terminal. What they said to me, and what their parents said, they were just trying to hold on till this movie comes….it put me back in the mind of being a kid just to experience those two little boys’ anticipation of this movie…it means a lot.”

Boseman also regularly visited children who were patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which prompted the facility to honor him through an Instagram post. In September 2018, Boseman shared two photos of him visiting a young girl named Mady, where he gave her a ton of Black Panther merchandise and enjoyed a special confetti party to lift her spirits for her birthday.

“Had a birthday celebration with a beautiful little princess, Mady. She let me throw the confetti twice. I think I had as much fun as she did,” Boseman wrote.

Had a birthday celebration with a beautiful little princess, Mady. She let me throw the confetti twice. I think I had as much fun as she did. #StJude pic.twitter.com/BP04nLNXH9
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) September 12, 2018

The Fight to Keep Going: Finding Joy During Cancer

Boseman never let his own personal battle with cancer overshadow his moments with these young children, and judging from the photo, meeting this resilient cancer patients was an enjoyable experience.

Finding pockets of joy during a cancer battle can be critical to your mental health, and it’s important to enjoy a moment without focusing on your diagnosis. Studies have shown that patients with better emotional health have a better quality of life when going through treatment, and more successful results. Doing activities you love can include many things a walk in the park, picnic with loved ones, or in Boseman’s case, filming action movies.

“Working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment, your emotional well-being, definitely working on those things and making them better are important and can impact your survival,” Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, tells SurvivorNet. “If that’s related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities.”

Dr. Dana Chase explains why it’s important to find moments of joy during cancer treatment

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