An Adoring Husband
- Radio host Dan Bongino just celebrated 18 years with his wife, Paula. Bongino just went into remission from Hodgkin lymphoma in March.
- In a recent interview with SurvivorNet, the former secret service agent gushed about his wife and the other wonderful women in his lifehis mother and daughters.
- 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.
Related: Radio Host Dan Bongino Given 'Clean Bill of Health' After Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer Treatment
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The couple met in 2001, married in 2003, and have two daughters, Isabel, 17, and Amelia, 9. The family resides in Palm City, Florida, where he shoots his shows. "No serious person would question that inflammation and constant stress are probably not beneficial while you're still recovering from Hodgkin's, so having my wife around has been key," he said.
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Bongino’s Lymphoma Battle
Last year, Bongino discovered a lump on his neck, which he initially believed to be a lipoma. 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 told 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," Bongino said. "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."
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