Criss Angel has opened up about his 5-year-old son’s ongoing battle with cancer in a new interview. The interview came during a presentation of his own Magic Wand Award to the Driscoll family amid his Criss Angel MINDFREAK show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The award is meant to give recognition of Make-A-Wish volunteers who commit themselves the “giving spirit” he felt was important when the award was conceived in 2016 according to Entertainment Tonight.
The magician had revealed his son’s acute lymphoblastic leukemia had returned earlier in the month. The award seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Angel to update fans on his son’s condition and why it is important to hold onto that hope his award and Make-A-Wish embody.
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“As a parent going through this myself, you kind of see it from both sides of the perspective. I was somebody who used to just work with children that were sick. Then I had a son who was diagnosed with pediatric cancer,” Angel says in the interview according to ET. “So, I understand, with a son who just had a relapse, what it’s really like, moment by moment, and how difficult it is to look at your child who should be worrying about what toy they’re playing with. Instead, they’re worrying about treatment that’s literally putting poison into their body.”
“My son will be 8 years old when he’s done and six years of his life, he has been doing chemo treatments. I am going through this now,” Angel added. “Stephanie [Driscoll] has been a friend. Her family is beautiful and amazing. Her little daughter, Avery, was truly an angel. I had the honor of knowing her for years, seeing her when she was in remission, seeing her when she had relapsed. There is nothing more important in the world than these kids, and Make-A-Wish understands that.”
Angel’s son Johnny was first diagnosed with ALL in October 2015, with the magician announcing his remission in June 2016. Sadly, Angel confirmed in a statement to ET that the cancer had returned but he was keeping hope that the young child could beat the disease again.
“We have recently had confirmation that our 5-year-old son Johnny Crisstopher has relapsed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia). While we are devastated by this unexpected news, we believe that he will be in remission again soon,” Angel told ET. “We have great faith and hope for his treatment at both Summerlin Hospital and Cure 4 the Kids Foundation with Dr. Alan Ikeda, who has been treating Johnny Crisstopher in Nevada. He is an amazingly strong little boy, and with the support of family, friends, and my loyal fans we look forward to the day he is again in remission.”
Despite the troubling news, Angel said that it only makes him more committed to raising funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment. He also said he has a major event planned for 2020 to support his Johnny Crisstopher Children’s Charitable Foundation.
