Vivian Campbell, the guitarist and backing vocalist for Def Leppard, announced that he is in remission from Hodgkin lymphoma after battling the illness for over a decade. He mentioned he may have borrowed “one or two or three” things from his donor.
Campbell shared that a PET scan in mid-April revealed he was completely cancer-free for the first time in 12 or 13 years. “I’m incredibly happy,” he stated. “There were amazing donors involved.”
At 62, Campbell was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013, undergoing various treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, until finally receiving a successful bone marrow transplant on New Year’s Eve 2024.
Reflecting on his journey, Campbell noted that his earlier treatments had not been definitive, with the cancer recurring repeatedly.
“Around ten years ago, I had a stem cell transplant that used my own cells,” he explained. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and the cancer returned. It got significantly worse a few years ago… The only option left was a donor transplant,” he said.
Originally, he was meant to have the transplant following Thanksgiving, but he faced a setback when his first donor was lost just ten days before the procedure, describing it as “a real blow.” Luckily, doctors identified a 21-year-old donor with a matching genetic marker who stepped in to help Campbell.
“It was just nice to know there are good people out there,” he remarked about his donor.
For a while, he couldn’t access the donor’s information. “After two years, you can reach out. I imagine it’ll be through email nowadays,” he noted.
Campbell intends to contact his donor to express his gratitude, possibly even offering to buy them a drink or two.
Following the transplant, he spent nearly a month recovering in the hospital, missing his band’s first show in 2025.
In January, Campbell commented on the recovery process, emphasizing the importance of the coming 100 days.
He joined Def Leppard in 1992 after the passing of guitarist Steve Clark due to complications from substance abuse.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma refers to a group of cancers that start in lymphocytes. The Cleveland Clinic notes that it is generally considered one of the more treatable cancers.
