Cherishing Life’s Milestones Post-Cancer: Lymphoma Survivor Dan Bongino Celebrates 18 Years with His Beautiful Wife

In a recent interview with SurvivorNet, Bongino shared what a special woman he has in his life,  how supportive she was during his cancer fight, and how supportive she still is as he navigates life after cancer.

"She's the best. She runs my entire business, my wife. It really is all her. All I have to do is go on the air and talk, I don't have to do anything," he said of his partner of 20 years. "She runs the administrative side, the accounting side, the HR side, the investment side, she really runs everything."

 

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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.

Related: Radio Host Dan Bongino Says His First Call After Hodgkin Lymphoma Diagnosis Was to Mom: ‘I Just Kind of Broke Down’

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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