Jeff Bridges ALMOST Died After Learning New Health Issue Amid Cancer Battle
Jeff Bridges revealed that he almost died while fighting against cancer.
Bridges, who previously revealed to Twitter that he has been diagnosed with Lymphoma, opened up about being "pretty close to dying" in the past year and a half.
In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, the "True Grit" actor revealed that he nearly died of COVID-19 amid his non-Hodgkin lymphoma battle - which he recently defeated.
He started by recalling how he felt something unusual in his stomach while doing exercises one morning at home. When he consulted his doctor, they found a 12-by-9 inches tumor in his body - although it did not hurt.
Bridges was diagnosed with cancer and quickly underwent chemotherapy by infusion and oral chemo. The development came as a surprise for him as the treatment worked faster than expected.
However, his health took a turn for the worst when he contracted COVID-19 in January 2021, when the vaccine was not available yet. As the chemotherapy weakened his immune system, the virus affected him hard that he almost died.
"I had no defenses. That's what chemo does - it strips you of all your immune system. I had nothing to fight it. COVID made my cancer look like nothing," he said. "I was pretty close to dying. The doctors kept telling me, 'Jeff, you've got to fight. You're not fighting.' I was in surrender mode. I was ready to go."
But after receiving convalescent plasma (a therapy that uses blood from people who have recovered from an illness), the actor began seeing improvements.
Jeff Bridges Now Strong and Well To Work Again
Following his tough battle against the dreaded illnesses, Bridges is now preparing to star in the drama, "The Old Man."
"As the show started getting into shape, I said, 'Oh, we are coming up with something really cool here,' " he said.
In addition, he got the chance to spend more time with his family again and received more love from them.
His interview came months after he delivered positive news to fans during a virtual panel for the upcoming FX series.
He revealed that he already felt terrific after his cancer and COVID-19 battle. The issues even contributed something to developing his character in "The Old Man." It is worth noting that Dan Chase, his role, suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
