Vivian Campbell 'not afraid to die' as he opens up about life after cancer diagnosis

A musician has opened up about being diagnosed with cancer, saying that he decided to "just live his life" after receiving the news over a decade ago. Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell also said that he's "not afraid to die".

Vivian, 63, who has been in the rock band since 1992, announced that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2013. The NHS describes it as an "uncommon" cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system.

He's since spoken about having treatment, including chemotherapy, for more than a decade since then. Earlier this year, following more treatment, Vivian shared that he is now "completely in remission".

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Vivian reflected on his experience whilst on the podcast. After his health was brought up, he said: "It made me spend more money because, y'know, as Jerry Seinfeld said, 'you can't drive money.' So as soon as I got ... not as soon as, but within a year of having my cancer diagnosis ... I went and bought a very expensive Porsche."

He recalled thinking that it was "a lot of money" but said that he also thought he "could be dead next week" at the time. He went on to say in the interview: "Well, actually, there is a saying in Ireland - 'you're a long time dead'. So, I sort of take it to heart. I'm a little bit reckless in that way."

Vivian added: "[I] have a lot of faith in the universe, y'know, that things will work out." Speaking about his cancer, he said: "I thought 'okay, this is the hand I've been dealt'. As I see it, you can go one of two routes - you can capitulate to it or you can just live your life. And I decided to do the latter."

He said that he now feels "very fortunate" because he got his cancer diagnosis "early," saying that it was stage two at the time of his diagnosis. He added that his health has been "very closely monitored for years" as a result.

He described himself as "strong," physically and mentally, before saying: "Mentally, I'm not afraid to die. I don't wanna die because I've got kids and family. I've got a lot of people who depend on me but I've never been afraid of it and I just keep pushing at it and keep putting back. And most importantly, I just keep living my life, y'know."

Earlier this year, whilst speaking on SiriusXM, in an interview later shared on the Eddie Trunk podcast in June, Vivian shared an update on his health. He said that he is "completely in remission" for the first time in more than ten years.

Vivian said that he has been "through the mill" with treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy since his cancer diagnosis. He added that he also had a stem cell transplant with his own cells "that didn't work".

He said: "The cancer kept coming back and then a couple of years ago, it really got bad. So it was the first time in having to deal with it that I was seriously concerned about it. And y'know the doctors told me really my only chance for a cure was to do a donor transplant and that's exactly what I did."

Vivian said that last summer he began more chemotherapy "in preparation" for it, adding that he had "very hardcore chemo" leading up to the transplant following a tour. He said that he then went into hospital on New Year's Eve.

He said: "I was in for about three and a half weeks and I did what has turned out to be a really, really successful transplant." He added: "[Then] I did a PET scan in the middle of April and I'm a hundred percent clean, completely in remission for the first time in 12 or 13 years. And I am obviously overjoyed. Y'know, you couldn't ask for more than that."

The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.

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