Doctors told Johny Lever his son’s cancer was incurable, said he could be paralysed or lose his vision; priest in US said, ‘God will heal him’

Johny Lever opened up about his son's battle with cancer, and how the doctors in India had given up. The comedian said hope came only when they traveled to the US and met a priest who told them what to do.

Johny Lever with his son Jesse and daughter Jamie. (Photo: Instagram/Johny Lever)

Dealing with personal turmoil and issues, especially when it involves your loved ones, is difficult. Comedian and actor Johny Lever, who has worked with the biggest names of the industry and still managed to shine with his unmatched sense of humour, went through something quite harrowing some years ago. In a recent interview he talked about his son Jesse developing a tumour at the age of 10 and how the doctors in the country had given up on the case and advised Johny to avoid surgery. Johny shared that things got much more difficult before they got better and how his son found hope and a second chance when he wasn’t even looking for it.

Talking to former actor Kunickaa Sadanand on her podcast, Johny first talked about the initial diagnosis of his son and said, “My son developed a knot on his neck, and he went through several types of treatment, including an operation, but they couldn’t remove the tumour because it was intertwined with nerves. They warned me that they cannot operate, as my son risks losing his eyesight or getting paralysed. I saw my son lying on the hospital bed, with the cut still open. They gave us medication to melt the tumour, and my son used to take 40-50 pills each day, but it didn’t work, and the tumour just kept growing.”

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Johny expressed that he felt helpless at that point and even told his son that he will do whatever he can as a father, but he isn’t God and cannot do anything about the tumour itself. “He was barely 12 years old, and kids in his school used to make fun of him. I did everything for him during that time, bought him whatever he wanted, and took him wherever he wanted to go. We all went on this trip to the US, and we were in Jersey. We all decided to go to a church, and there a priest was walking back from the altar. When he crossed us, he saw Jesse and asked about the tumour. I explained to him my son’s situation, and he told me to take him to Sloan Kettering Hospital. He said, ‘God will heal him.'”

Sloan Kettering happens to be the same cancer-specialist facility where the actor Nargis Dutt was treated, and Johny, despite warnings from the doctors in India, decided to book a consultation. “My wife was very worried about what the doctors in India had told her, but I somehow convinced her. I had some good doctor friends in Jersey, and they suggested a doctor called Dr Jatin Shah. Even though I was not a very pious person, during that time I prayed a lot. The operation took place, and I was so engrossed in prayer that I felt as if I was in the operation theatre, and my wife thought I had gone mad. Shortly after they brought him out, he raised his left hand up and signalled to me that he was okay. They had taken the whole tumour out, and all that was left was a tiny bandage on his neck.”

Johny admitted that after his son’s recovery he left whatever bad habits he had, and thanked god for the second chance. Now completely cancer-free, Jesse is an actor and quite active on social media, where he shares videos of singing and playing instruments like the drums. On the other hand, Johny’s daughter Jamie has decided to walk in his footsteps and is already touring the world performing comedy.

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