‘Jurassic Park’ star Sam Neill ‘pleased to be alive’ after stage 3 blood cancer battle

Sam Neill has opened up about his health, revealing in a recent interview that he has been diagnosed with blood cancer.

That’s what the “Jurassic Park” star said the guard in a feature published on Friday about last year’s “dark moments” when he found out about his cancer.

“Those dark moments shine the light in sharp relief you know and have made me grateful for each day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just glad to be alive,” he said.

According to the Guardian, Neill, 75, had swollen glands while promoting Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022. The actor’s doctor diagnosed him with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. a type of non-Hodgkin lymphomashortly after noticing the swelling.

According to the American Cancer Societynon-Hodgkin lymphoma is stage 3 when the disease is present in either the lymph nodes on either side (above and below) the diaphragm or in the lymph nodes above the diaphragm and in the spleen.

Neill was reportedly receiving chemotherapy and was started on a new chemotherapy drug when the first treatment began to fail. The Guardian reported that Neill, who is now cancer-free, will take the drug every month “for the rest of his life”.

The actor, who has appeared in the TV series Peaky Blinders and The Sullivans, also spoke to the outlet about his upcoming book, “Have I Ever Told You That?”

“I never intended to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realized that it actually gave me a reason to live, and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’m going to write about this tomorrow… this is going to entertain me,'” he said. “And so it was really a lifesaver because I couldn’t have gotten through this without doing something, you know.”

However, readers should disregard Neill’s “Did I Ever Tell You This?” as a “cancer book”.

“I can’t stand her,” he said. “I’ll never read a damn cancer book in my life again.”

Instead, the actor sees his illness as a “spiral” that runs throughout the book.

Earlier in the Guardian story, Neill said he “doesn’t care” about dying but would like “another decade or two” to bask in his life and homeland.

“We’ve built all these beautiful patios, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be there to see it all grow to maturity,” he said. “And I have my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them grow up.”