Criss Angel has announced his seven-year-old son’s cancer is in remission, seven years after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Johnny Crisstopher, the eldest of the magician’s three children with his wife Shaunyl Benson, was first diagnosed in 2015. The illness briefly went into remission before returning in December 2019.
Angel shared an Instagram post on Tuesday (18 January) stating that Johnny Cristopher was due to “ring the bell symbolizing his remission and the end of his treatment”.
He later posted an emotional video of his son ringing the bell, surrounded by his parents and medical personnel.
On YouTube, Angel shared a 13-minute video documenting Johnny Crisstopher’s diagnosis and treatment. He described it as “the most important post I have ever made”.
In the clip, Angel reflects on his “disbelief” when his son was first diagnosed with cancer.
“I thought it happened to the other person, not to you,” he says. “You think Criss Angel is this guy who does all these crazy things ... and then you see me sobbing and I can’t stop sobbing, because it’s so real. It’s not an illusion. It’s not like you’re going to wake up the next day and everything is going to be OK.”
The Johnny Crisstopher Children's Charitable Foundation, of which Angel is the president, aims to raise awareness and funds for the research and treatment of paediatric cancer.
