Dan Bongino, 47, Says He Was ‘Terrified’ Of Covid Since He’s A Cancer Survivor: ‘I Freaked Out Man, I Had Cancer, I Thought I Was Dying!’

But in a recent episode of The Dan Bongino Show posted to rumble, Bongino said getting the Covid-19 vaccine was “the biggest mistake of my life when it comes to my health.”

“I am really anxious and scared about what was what was put into my body, and I made a big mistake,” he told his listeners. “I should have waited.

“It’s one of the greatest regrets of my life. I freaked out man, I had cancer, I thought I was dying and I just wanted to see my youngest daughter’s wedding.”

Bongino has been in remission for over a year now, and he’s doing well. But before we share some need-to-know information for cancer survivors regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, let’s take a look back on Bongino’s cancer journey.

Dan Bongino's Cancer Battle

Bongino announced his Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in October 2020. Interestingly enough, he was diagnosed after an oncology nurse who watches The Dan Bongino Show spotted a lump on his neck last year. After discovering the 10-centimeter by 7-centimeter tumor in his neck, Bongino had a biopsy. That's when he was given his diagnosis.

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Bongino had always taken good care of himself, exercised often and didn't have family members with cancer. So, like many cancer warriors, Bongino was shocked by his diagnosis.

"I'm a 45-year-old guy who's 6'1, 225 pounds," Bongino previously told SurvivorNet. "The first person I called was my mom. I didn't know what else to do. I just kind of broke down a bit… 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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Bongino eventually had treatment which included surgery and chemotherapy. He didn't experience nausea from the chemo, he said, but the "chemo hiccups" kept him from sleeping. Luckily, he had his wife to support him through it all.

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"I would get choked up, because I could not go to sleep because of these damn chemo hiccups," he said. "My wife I was like a child she would be patting my back like she was burping a child and we would be up to two or three in the morning. She would be like, 'I can't watch you go through this.’"

Despite the hardships throughout his cancer battle, Bongino's work got him going in the morning.

"You know, I don't like to tell my audience, because I always said I wouldn't do a show when I didn't feel like it, but there were a couple days where I was on the borderline, like 'I don't know if I can do this today,’" Bongino admitted. "And I was like, 'You know what, I'm gonna do it, this isn't that bad, and I'll get through it. Toughen up, don't be a wuss and get on the air.’"

Bongino went into remission in March 2021, and seems to be thriving today. He's also said that his cancer journey has given him a fresh perspective on life one that's allowed him to make the most of every moment.

"I was given the gift by God of finding out that we all have an expiration date," he said, noting that this was a positive thing. "Every minute of your life is a gift."

Covid-19 Concerns for Cancer Survivors Like Dan Bongino

Here at SurvivorNet, we’re very glad to see that Bongino is doing well post-cancer, but we do have some concerns regarding the information he’s sharing about the Covid-19 vaccines.

What Should Blood Cancer Patients Do After They Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Below are some things cancer survivors need to know about Covid-19 and the Covid-19 vaccine.

1. People living with cancer, particularly blood cancer, do have a higher risk of developing severe Covid-19. A weakened immune system (being immunocompromised), older age and other medical conditions also put people more at risk. Patients with blood cancer may be more at risk because they often have abnormal or low levels of immune cells that fight viruses.
2. In addition, cancer survivors who are taking medicine to suppress the immune system, who have had an organ transplant, who had a stem-cell transplant within the last two years or cancer survivors who are taking high-dose corticosteroids or other immune-suppressing drugs are also more vulnerable to Covid-19 infections despite vaccination status.
3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone over 6 months old get the Covid vaccine and that includes most people with cancer and those who were previously treated for the disease.
4. It is recommended that all members of the public get one booster shot, but those with an increased risk (including cancer patients) should get two. "Whatever you get, either [Pfizer or Moderna], we encourage people to get their two extra boosters," Dr. John Greene, chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Infectious Disease Program, previously told SurvivorNet.
5. The Covid-19 variants have affected the current vaccine’s ability to cover all form of the disease. "The new omicron strains are rapidly mutating and becoming less and less covered by the current vaccine, so the companies are vigorously working on trying to get a new vaccine that covers all the new emerging variants," Dr. Greene explained this summer. "They might be out in six months to a year, but until then, we work with what we have."
6. There are a situations where a doctor may recommend a cancer patient wait to get a vaccine or booster.
   1. If they’ve just had Covid-19. "Many of our patients are getting infected with the new variant," Dr. Greene said. "And that immunity will give them protection from reinfection for at least 90 days. So after the 90 days are up, they can get a booster."
   2. When a patient's immune system has been so severely affected by treatment that it would simply not be beneficial to get them the vaccine "because their chance of mounting an immune response is zero to 20 percent," Dr. Greene said.

Overall, the recommendation is for cancer survivors to get their Covid-19 vaccines. But if you have any questions about your covid-19 risk level, the appropriate timing for your vaccination or anything else covid-19 please consult your doctor and cancer care team.

Contributing: Laura Gesualdi-Gilmore

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