Last month, blink-182’s Mark Hoppus revealed that he was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.
“I have cancer. It sucks and I’m scared, and at the same time I’m blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this,” Hoppus wrote in a statement shared to social media. “I still have months of treatment ahead of me but I’m trying to remain hopeful and positive. Can’t wait to be cancer free and see you all at a concert in the near future. Love to you all.”
During a recent Q&A with Chilean blink-182 fans, the bassist-singer elaborated on the details of his diagnosis.
“The cancer isn’t bone-related, it’s blood-related, my blood’s trying to kill me,” said Mark Hoppus. He went on to reveal that he was battling “diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.”
Hoppus noted that the classification of his DLBCL is Stage IV-A, the highest level, and the cancer affects his other organs beyond the lymph nodes. “My classification is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma stage IV-A, which means, as I understand it, it’s entered four parts of my body,” Hoppus said. “I don’t know how exactly they determine the four part of it, but it’s entered enough parts of my body that I’m stage IV, which I think is the highest that it goes. So, I’m stage IV-A.”
Hoppus detailed that he was going in for a PET scan on Wednesday, July 14th — which would test whether his months of chemotherapy treatment have been working.
“Ideally I go in tomorrow and they say, ‘Congratulations! Your chemotherapy has worked and you are all done and you’ll never have to think about this cancer again for the rest of your life,'” Hoppus said. Even if the chemotherapy treatment had eradicated all the cancer, he will still need to undertake three more rounds of chemo. There is also a chance that Hoppus may need to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
Love Emo?
Get the latest Emo news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“We’re beatin’ this cancer. It’s just a matter of time,” he added.
A fan asked Hoppus if his mother, who beat the exact same form of cancer, has given him any advice. “I’ve been able to talk with her and bond with her quite a bit,” he said.
When asked if he was listening to any music during chemo, Hoppus said he’s avoiding eating his favourite foods and listening to music he likes because he doesn’t want those things associated with this period of his life. “So I don’t listen to songs I like and I don’t want anything associated with being in the chemo chair,” he said.
