Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has shared he has been receiving treatment for stage-three cancer after being diagnosed last year.
The 75-year-old star is currently being treated following his diagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma last year. He is now cancer-free but went through "dark moments" in the last year.
He revealed the news today as he discussed his book, Did I Ever Tell You This?, the Mirror reports.
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He wrote in the first chapter of his new book: "The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying. I may have to speed this up." Sam explained he wrote about his life, career, and achievements as a way to keep busy while undergoing treatment.
Speaking to The Guardian, he explained: "I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realised it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’ll write about that tomorrow … that will entertain me.’
"And so it was a lifesaver really, because I couldn’t have gone through that with nothing to do, you know." He started getting swollen glands during the Jurassic World Dominion publicity events last year.
Sam went on to undergo chemotherapy but it began to fail, so he went on a new chemotherapy drug which he will be taking every month for the rest of his life.
"Those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just pleased to be alive," he explained.
The actor was born in Northern Ireland and moved to New Zealand when he was young. His first film was a New Zealand television movie The City of No in 1971. His breakthrough performance was in the film Sleeping Dogs in 1977.
He is known for his role as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park in 1993. Sam added to The Guardian that he isn't "afraid to die" but "it would annoy me".
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