Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell thanks stem cell donor after getting cancer all clear
Vivian Campbell, guitarist for hard rock band Def Leppard, has revealed that his cancer is in remission for the first time since 2013.
Northern Irish artist Campbell first rose to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio before finding his feet as the rhythm guitarist of Def Leppard following Steve Clark’s death in 1991. Campbell was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013.
This great news came after an unsuccessful transplant of his own cells and further disappointment when a new donor didn’t work out. The procedure with his new stem cell donor was successful, and he is now in complete remission.
He opened up about the process on Trunk Nation, telling Eddie Trunk, “I lost my donor 10 days beforehand, so that was a kick in the nuts. But I was very fortunate that they found me another one in December. And on New Year’s Eve, I went into hospital. I was in for about three and a half weeks, and I did what has turned out to be a really, really successful transplant.”
Campbell continued recounting the recovery journey, revealing, “I did a PET scan in the middle of April, and I’m 100% clean, completely in remission for the first time in 12 or 13 years. And I’m obviously overjoyed. You couldn’t ask for more than that.”
Explaining on the show that there are ten genetic markers doctors look for in a possible donor, he shared that “this donor was 10 out of 10. A young man, actually. I don’t get to know who he is for a couple of years, but a 21-year-old man. Obviously, I’m gonna buy him a beer or two or three.”
Campbell should soon be back on the road with Def Leppard, tackling a string of live shows in North America. He joins right back into an exciting summer for Def Leppard. They will perform at several festivals with headline US and Canadian dates. Bret Michaels and Extreme will join them for their shows, which drummer Rick Allen said they will attack with “guns blazing”.
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