Published Jan 2, 2020

Criss Angel Shaves Off His Son’s Hair in This Heartbreaking Video Documenting His Cancer Journey

Johnny Crisstopher was first diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia before his second birthday.

Details

In a touching Instagram video posted from home on New Year’s Day, illusionist Criss Angel talked about his son’s continuing treatment for Leukemia, and a difficult next step — shaving off his hair.

“We’re going to cut Johnny Crisstopher’s hair because of the relapse and of him going through a very heavy [treatment],” Angel wrote.

Johnny Crisstopher was first diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia before his second birthday. After being in remission, his cancer has returned, and he began treatment in early December.

In the video, Angel turns to his 5-year-old son, whose mother, Shaunyl Benson, is by his side, and asks gently, "Do you want to keep your hair long? And we'll just let it fall out? … It's up to you.”

View this post on Instagram

We must embrace what we can't control with courage, strength and forever love. #CelebrateLife #2020
A post shared by Criss Angel (@crissangel) on Jan 1, 2020 at 10:24am PST

‘We Must Embrace What We Can’t Control’

Angel did shave off his son’s hair, writing, “We must embrace what we can’t control with courage, strength, and forever love,” on the post, has brought an outpouring of love and prayers from the illusionist’s fans.

Johnny Crisstopher’s Cancer Journey

Johnny was diagnosed with the rare, lymphoblastic leukemia in 2015. In this type of childhood cancer, the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In June 2016, Angel announced that his young son was in remission. But the relief would last only four years. Recent Instagram posts from Angel have shown his son receiving chemotherapy infusions.

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Back today for a long day of chemo… @cure4thekids
A post shared by Criss Angel (@crissangel) on Dec 26, 2019 at 11:44a

Information About Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

There are two main types of lymphoblastic leukemia: chronic and acute. While patients can live with chronic leukemia for a long time, acute leukemia can progress quickly, and if not treated, can be fatal within a few months.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a rare cancer that occurs when the bone marrow makes too much of a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, it is the most common type of childhood cancer, and three out every four cases of childhood leukemia are diagnosed as acute.

Signs of childhood ALL include fever and bruising, and the disease can be detected using tests that examine the blood and bone marrow. Over time, there has been a lot of improvement in treatments for childhood leukemia.

There are several different approaches to treating the disease, and the treatment plan will depend on the type of ALL the child has. Chemotherapy, radiation, chemotherapy with a stem cell transplant, and targeted therapy are all considered standard treatment, according to the American Cancer Society.

Million Dollar Goal

Angel is using his visibility to draw attention to pediatric cancer research, hosting star studded charity events and calling on the public to help him surpass his original goal of raising $1 million dollars for the cause.

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Constance Costas is a writer for SurvivorNet.