Bongino's Cancer Journey
Bongino, 46, finished treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma in February and announced in March that he had received a clean bill of health.Unfiltered with Dan Bongino airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET. Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent joined Fox as a contributor in 2019, also hosts a daily Westwood One radio program called The Dan Bongino Show.
Read MoreAt the top of a segment featuring Bongino, Hannity asked Bongino if he could share the “great news.”
“Obviously you’ve been very public about some health struggles,” Hannity said. “He’s gotten a clean bill of health. I couldn’t be happier for my friend, my fellow warrior.”
Bongino's Hodgkin Lymphoma Battle
Last year, Bongino discovered a lump on his neck, which he initially believed to be a lipoma (benign fatty tumor). After he had it surgically removed, however, he was told that it was Hodgkin lymphoma.
Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes. It is typically classified as either Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The distinction between the two has to do with a person's white blood cells linked to the disease. If doctors are unable to detect the Reed-Sternberg cell (a giant cell derived from B lymphocytes), then it is categorized as Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Related: Radio host Dan Bongino finishes treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma
However, if Reed-Sternberg cells are present, the lymphoma is diagnosed as Hodgkin lymphoma. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, says lymphoma symptoms can be difficult to detect, and thus can lead to a late diagnosis. "The symptoms of lymphoma, especially if you have a low-grade lymphoma, often are no symptoms. People say, but I feel completely fine, and that's very normal," explains Dr. Chong.
Dr. Elise Chong explains why your type of lymphoma matters
Treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma may include chemotherapy, radiation, and in some cases stem-cell transplant. Bongino's treatment plan included chemotherapy and radiation, he said in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet.
A big martial arts guy, Bongino has always taken good care of himself. So the news rattled him. He tells SurvivorNet, "I'm a 45-year-old guy who's 6'1, 225 pounds. The first person I called was my mom. I didn't know what else to do. I just kind of broke down a bit," says Bongino. "The first thing you do is you ask questions. I said to my mother, 'I don't drink. I don't smoke. I've never done a drug in my entire life ever. Not one time. I work out five days a week.' I eat clean as a whistle and there's zero not a little, but zero cancer in my family."
Appreciation for Care
In an earlier interview, the Bongino was transparent about how lucky he was to receive care from the finest cancer doctors in America because of his well-connected friends. He' says when he first got diagnosed his colleagues at Fox News couldn't have been more supportive, saying, "They couldn't have done more. Sean Hannity, who is a close friend, not just a work associate, was on the phone with me I kid you not, for probably close to five hours and over the course of the following five days called every single contact [he had] and got me connected with the great [Memorial] Sloan Kettering institution up in New York."
Bongino was fortunate to have help and support. He wants others to have access to the same kind of care he does. He wants to help millions of people get the excellent cancer treatment he's now receiving, and he has a plan to make that happen. He says, "I thought it'd be the greatest idea to build [cancer care] into whatever health plan" comes to pass.
Bongino also spoke about the high quality of his doctors at MD Anderson, "these are just the finest places in the world. My doctor is amazing, whenever I need her, they have that 'My Chart' app so I can send her an email in five minutes." Bongino says although he's receiving some of the best treatment available, he did not come from money. "I grew up dirt poor. When I say 'dirt poor' I don't mean like 'kind of poor.' I mean like 'bologna-for-dinner poor.' And now I do quite well."
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