Jeff Bridges' Cancer Battle
- Actor Jeff Bridges, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor, has taken time to thank nonprofit and community groups for protecting wildlife and public lands while promoting the new documentary, which he narrates, “In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey.”
- The film explores wolves and other animals as part of America’s history and shows how nature and humans are deeply connected across the country.
- Bridges faced a lymphoma diagnosis in 2020 — and about a year later, in September 2021, was declared in remission. During that time, he endured a lengthy hospital stay while fighting Covid-19 as cancer treatment had weakened his immunity.
- He had chemotherapy to treat his disease. Other lymphoma treatments include active surveillance, radiation, and bone marrow transplant.
- The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common, and you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Overview
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“From the shores of England to the birth of the New Republic and ultimately the colonization the vast, contested landscapes of the modern American West,” IMDb says of the new film, directed by Susan Kucera and written by Jon Coleman and Anna Kirsch.
“A place where the ensemble doesn’t merely walk through history; they trot, lope, stampede, and migrate across it reminding us that the wild and the domesticated alike, have always reflected a deeper story of who we are as a nation – and who we might yet become.”
Further explaining the documentary to his fans, Bridges says in the film trailer, “This is the stage, the American West. What you see, well, it depends on where you’re standing.
“In the Company of Wolves, an American Journey.’ History is carried in the tracks of its co-travelers, the animals that shaped our land, myths, and our minds.”
The film is 1 hour and 23 minutes and will be featured at special screenings in New York, New York, at Cinema Village and Santa Monica, California, at Monica Film Center, between June 26 and June 2.
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“Fortunately, this isn’t the kind of doc that feels dry or academic despite being filled with fascinating observations and insights like how wolves have been unfairly stigmatized in folklore and how, in reality, wolves are as intelligent as dogs and behave similarly. You’ll enjoy watching ‘In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey’ especially if you love animals, nature and US history,” the film’s official website reads.
“Bravo to director Susan Kucera for finding just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually. You’ll never look at wolves the same way again.”
Supporters of Bridges commented, “Thank you for your dedication to making films like this!! We are excited to be screening this at our next conference @westernwildlifetoday.”
Another fan wrote, “This looks amazing! Thank you @thejeffbridges for speaking for wolves.”
Jeff Bridges’ Cancer Battle
Jeff Bridges was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2020 and started chemotherapy treatment right away. Although Bridges hasn’t personally specified which type of lymphoma he was diagnosed with, AARP noted that his cancer was, in fact, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, cancer of a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system.
While cancer treatment was going well, he was also diagnosed with COVID-19 in January 2021, and due to his cancer treatment having weakened his immune system, Bridges wound up spending months in the hospital.
According to AARP, Bridges’ cancer went into remission quickly after he was put through chemotherapy infusion, which was followed by an oral chemo protocol.
He dubbed his wife Susan Geston as being his “absolute champion” as she stayed by Bridges’ side as he recovered from covid in the hospital.
“She really fought to keep me off a ventilator. I didn’t want to be on it, and the doctors didn’t necessarily want that. But Sue was adamant,” he told the news outlet.
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He was ultimately treated with a blood plasma called “convalescent plasma,” which consists of viral antibodies.
Despite his struggle, like so many cancer survivors, Bridges was left with a renewed appreciation for life.
“I’ll be honest. I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” he told Esquire Middle East in 2022. “I was on death’s door there for a while in the hospital. When I finally went back to work, after a two-year hiatus, it was the most bizarre kind of thing. It felt like a dream.”
“I came back after all that time, and saw the same faces [while shooting ‘The Old Man’], the same cast and crew,” he added. “It was like we had a long weekend. I gathered everyone and I said, ‘I had the most bizarre dream, you guys.’ I was sick and out, but all that feels like a gray mush now.”
What is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which has a few different subtypes, starts in a type of white blood cell known as the lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system. Once a diagnosis is received, a doctor must determine whether the cancer is indolent (slow-growing) or aggressive, and if the lymphocytes being affected are B-cells or T-cells. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And the types of treatment needed are dependent on the type of subtype a patient has.
“For patients with indolent lymphomas, sometimes patients may not require therapy at the time of diagnosis, if they’re asymptomatic or have a low burden of disease, whereas patients with more aggressive lymphoma would require initiation of treatment,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
Dr. Crombie noted that when a patient is diagnosed with an aggressive type of lymphoma, “we do treat patients with chemotherapy.
“That’s the standard of care and our most common regimen that we use for patients is something called R-CHOP,” she continued.
Dr. Nina Shah Explains How Blood Cancer Is Different Than Other Types Of Cancers
Treatment Options for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer of your immune system. It starts in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels, ducts, and nodes that run throughout your body.
This system drains excess fluid and waste from your tissues and drains them into your bloodstream. It also produces disease-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes that defend your body against infections.
“I always advise that people understand their specific type of lymphoma because there are over 40 different types,” Dr. Elise Chong, medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.
Lymphoma starts when lymphocytes develop a genetic mutation that makes them multiply much faster than usual. The mutation also makes older cells that would normally die stay alive. The quickly multiplying lymphocytes start to collect and build up in your lymph nodes, the small glands in your neck, armpits, and other parts of your body.
“At the beginning of a conversation with a patient, we have to talk about exactly which type of lymphoma they have,” Dr. Lawrence Piro told SurvivorNet.
“There are some lymphomas that are very treatable, but not curable,” Dr. Piro added.
“On the contrary, there are some lymphomas that, if you don’t treat them, they’ll progress rapidly, and you may succumb to it, yet there are very intensive treatments that you can take that may cure you,” he adds. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is an example of an aggressive but treatable cancer.
There are no screening tests for lymphomas and symptoms can be hard to identify so doctors typically perform a biopsy on a lymph node to accurately determine if non-Hodgkin lymphoma exists. However, some common symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma include:
- Swollen glands
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
Thriving Through and After Cancer
Studies prove that patients who are able to stay upbeat and positive often have better treatment outcomes. It doesn’t really matter what you do, but experts such as Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, recommend doing whatever makes you happy.
“We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes,” Chase told SurvivorNet in a previous interview.
“So working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment [and] your emotional well-being are important and can impact your survival. If that’s related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities.”
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“A positive attitude is really important,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles tells Survivornet.
If you have just been diagnosed with cancer, negative feelings are normal. Totally normal. Men and women react differently. Anger, shame, fear, anxiety. It’s to be expected. Experienced doctors will tell you that people who find a way to work through the emotions and stay positive do end up doing better.
“My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK,” Dr. Murrell says.
“Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow. But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Reaching Milestones as a Cancer Survivor
Reaching milestones during or after a cancer battle, even many years later, is huge and just hits different for many survivors.
Special moments such as getting engaged, reaching another birthday, a high school reunion, “cancerversary” may mean even more to you than those events did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.
Chrissy Degennaro is also a cancer warrior determined to keep enjoying these precious milestones. She has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was just 36 years old with a 2-year-old son.
I’m Able to Be Here For More Milestones — One Cancer Survivor’s Incredible Story
When she was given her diagnosis, she almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. But thanks to 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, a CAR-T cell trial and two CAR-T cell transplants over following 14 years, she’s able to keep making memories with her family.
“You know, I do live one day at a time,” Chrissy previously told SurvivorNet. “Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I’m able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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