How Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus’ Battle With Stage 4 Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Helped Him Mend His Friendship With Bandmate Tom DeLonge

In a recent interview with The Guardian, recounting what he said in his book, Hoppus admitted, he initially expected the worst in his cancer journey, but through his struggles, he rekindled his friendship with DeLonge.

“I really thought I was going to die. And, in a way, it absolutely was so freeing. I’d spent my whole life hypervigilant, thinking: what’s the worst thing that could happen? And, oh, it’s here now, I’m dealing with it and it still sucks,” he told The Guardian.

“The physical pain and exhaustion of the chemo, mixed with the steroids and all the other drugs, just crushed me for months on end. But it brought back friendships that I hadn’t had in years.”

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment — and Beyond

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He continued, “It healed my friendship with Tom: from day one, he was like: ‘What do you need? I’m there.’

“In that friendship and the love and support of people around me, I thought: you know what? I’ve had a pretty awesome life.”

RELATED: Rocking out at Lollapalooza, Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus Beat Stage Four Blood Cancer- Fans Grateful For The Music

According to The Guardian, Hoppus continued, “I suffered alone in silence for so long because I thought that, once it came out I had cancer, people’s opinions of me would change. Just generally in life, I felt that when people get sick or injured in some way they get left behind, like: ‘OK, you’re over here now in a different category.’ But I was wrong.”

“All these people who were fighters and winners, who overcame their cancer. That helped. I was finally able to say: ‘Yeah. I’m f***ing scared, but, you know, I try to put on a brave face.’”

RELATED: Blink-182 Star Mark Hoppus Opens Up About Overcoming Depression During His Cancer Journey: ‘I Feel Like I Have A Second Shot At Life’ 

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Mark Hoppus’ Cancer Journey

Hoppus was diagnosed with stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in June 2021 after seeing his doctor about a lump on his shoulder.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There are many specific types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) being the most common.

Hoppus entered remission after chemotherapy treatments and shared the news of his “all clear” in September 2022, but he “still [has] to get screened every six months.”

But Hoppus has opened up about his difficult recovery from chemotherapy. Part of which included recovering from chemo brain, or brain fog, a sense of mental cloudiness experienced by people treated with chemotherapy.

RELATED: Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus Says He Accidentally Told the World About His Cancer Diagnosis Because of Brain Fog; What to Know About This Common Chemo Side Effect

“The chemo brain is just heartbreaking to me because I can feel myself diminished mentally right now,” he said in an earlier interview with GQ.

Despite his stressful health battle, Hoppus has maintained support from his loved ones, like his wife Skye and his 22-year-old son Jack.

“I had a really dark time after finding out,” he told GQ. “I went through this whole period of like, not why me, but of course me. Why wouldn’t it be me?”

He continued, “We’ve had so much good luck and good fortune, and things have kind of fallen into place for me specifically for so long, that of course I was due. I was due for something tragic.”

Understanding Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Lymphomas are cancers of the immune system. They start in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels, ducts, and nodes that transport immune cells and carry away waste fluid throughout your body. Lymphoma starts when lymphocytes — or white blood cells — develop a genetic mutation that makes them multiply much faster than usual.

Various types of lymphomas exists, but non-Hodgkin lymphomas are much more common than Hodgkin lymphomas. There are several differences between these categories (and several different types of diseases within them as well). Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the type Mark Hoppus battled, is the most comma type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

There are about 40 different types of lymphomas, Dr. Elise Chong – a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine – explains.

The disease is typically diagnosed in people over age 55, while Hodgkin lymphoma is often seen in younger patients. Another difference is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma can form in lymph nodes all over your body. Hodgkin lymphoma is usually only in nodes of your upper body, such as your neck, chest, or armpits.

The only way to confirm whether you have lymphoma is with a biopsy. Your doctor will remove a piece of tissue from a lymph node, or the entire node. Then, a specially trained doctor called a pathologist examines the sample in a laboratory to see whether it contains lymphoma cells, and if so, which type of lymphoma it is.

Once the type of lymphoma is determined, your doctor may order a series of imaging tests to determine how to go about treatment.

Dr. Jakub Svoboda, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, explains how PET/CT scans are used, and what to expect.

Oftentimes a doctor will order a PET/CT scan, which combines PET (positron emission tomography) with CT (computed tomography) to get a complete picture of how far your disease has progressed.

The advantage to a PET/CT scan is that your doctor will not only be able to see your organs and tissues, for example whether your spleen or lymph nodes are enlarged, but also areas of cancer.

Cancer cells are hungrier than healthy cells so they eat up glucose and light up on the scan. A radiologist or other nuclear medicine specialist will read your scan and send a report to your doctor. Once your results are in, ask your doctor what they mean, how your treatment might change, and what outlook you can expect.

The Power of Strong Relationships & Support Through Cancer

We’re delighted to know that Mark Hoppus is moving on, living his life to the fullest, and prioritizing his relationships after cancer, as any type of diagnosis can be extremely stressful. One way SurvivorNet experts encourage cancer patients to alleviate some of that stress by leaning on their support system, like the one Hoppus has.

A support system can be made up of loved ones like family and friends. It can also be comprised of strangers who have come together because of a shared cancer experience. Mental health professionals can also be critical parts of a support system.

“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friend’s circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet.

“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional,” Dr. Plutchik added.

The Benefit of Support Networks for Cancer Patients

Dr. Plutchik also stressed it is important for people supporting cancer warriors to understand their emotions can vary day-to-day.

“People can have a range of emotions – they can include fear, anger – and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process,” Dr. Plutchik said.

WATCH: Sharing details about your cancer diagnosis.

Indeed, an article by Harvard Medical School supports the idea that “strong relationships,” in general, have an impact on overall health.

“One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than obesity and physical inactivity,” the article reads.

Another study referenced by Harvard suggests that “among women, social isolation and low social support were consistently associated with lower cognitive function.”

RELATED: ‘Strong in Cancer’: Navigating New Relationships and Motherhood While Fighting Cancer Is Challenging. We Offer Solutions.

Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin even wrote for SurvivorNet, “Studies have found consistently that loneliness is a significant risk factor for physical and mental illnesses and the trajectory of recovery.”

Tips On How To Support Your Loved Ones with Cancer

Here are SurvivorNet’s five tips on supporting your loved ones with cancer.

• Avoid asking, try doing. Although it’s understandable to not know how to best support your loved one during their cancer journey, it can be equally as hard for them to voice exactly what they need or want from you. Instead of always asking, “How can I help you?” maybe try saying something more concrete like, “Hey, can I come over at 8? I’ll bring monopoly.” If you offer specific ways to support rather than ask for things they need, it’s likely to come across as more genuine and feel easier for them to accept the support or help.
• Stay in touch, but “don’t say stupid things.” You might never be able to truly understand the battle your loved one is facing, but being a person they feel comfortable talking through some of their negative emotions with can make a big difference. That being said, breast cancer survivor Catherine Gigante-Brown says there are some topics you might want to avoid. “Don’t burden us with stories about your Great Aunt Harriet who had breast cancer,” she previously told SurvivorNet. “And then you say, ‘Oh how’s she doing?’ And then they’ll say, ‘Oh, she died.’ We don’t need to hear the horror stories.”

RELATED: Five Ways to Support Someone after A Cancer Diagnosis– Never Say ‘How Can I Help?’

• Offer to cook them a meal. Consider inviting them over for dinner, dropping off a special dish, or, if that’s not possible, sending a gift basket with some pick-me-up goodies. If you’re able to cook for them, perhaps try to make a healthy meal that will bring them joy. Remember that there’s no specialized diet that has been found to fight cancer, but it’s always a good idea to maintain a moderate diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, as well as fats and proteins. No matter what, it’s the simple gesture of providing a meal that will make them feel loved and supported.
• Try helping them find joy. There’s no one right way to do it, but try to think of activities you can do with your loved one that will lift them up. It could be something as simple as watching a funny tv series together, having a wine and paint night, taking a drive to a beautiful place or starting a book club with them. We’ve seen in previous studies that patients with better emotional health have a better quality of life when going through treatment and actually tend to live longer than those with worse emotional well-being. Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, says “better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes… having a good social network can be very helpful.”

• Be involved. If you’ve take on more of a full-time caregiving role, work to understand your loved one’s diagnosis and help them follow the instructions from the cancer-care team. “I encourage caregivers to come in to visits with my patients, because in that way, the caregiver is also listening to the recommendations what should be done in between these visits, any changes in treatment plans, any toxicities [side effects] that we need to look out for, changes in dietary habits, exercise, etc.,” Dr. Jayanthi Lea, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

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