In a recent podcast, Viv Campbell, guitarist for the band Def Leppard, spoke to Lymphoma Action about his experience of Hodgkin lymphoma.

You may recognise Viv Campbell; he is the guitarist in the rock band Def Leppard. His career spans decades, with dreams of becoming a musician starting back in the 1970s while watching T-Rex and Marc Bolan on Top of the Pops. Now 61, Viv reflects on a long and colourful career in music that he has enjoyed his entire adult life.

Talking about his health, Viv explains that he is a strong advocate for listening– and trusting – your own instincts when it comes to your body. ‘It was 2012 and I knew something was really wrong for about a year. I had a really stuffy head and a cough that wouldn’t go, and I just didn’t feel right. The band were touring and both at home and overseas I kept going to see doctors. I was given antibiotics and inhalers, but nothing cleared it up.

I was living in Los Angeles and went to see a doctor as I was still struggling with my health. By now the cough was really bad and on some days I couldn’t even hold a conversation. I was referred to a respiratory doctor, who sent me home with an inhaler and nasal spray. Some days I thought things were improving but on others the symptoms were back. This went on for about 8 months, and finally I said: ‘Please can I have an X-ray; just for my own peace of mind.’

Immediately after the X-ray I was sent for a CT scan and that evening I received a call saying I needed to see an oncologist. That was frightening when I heard it for the first time, but mentally I’d been preparing for this for a year and a half.

I had a biopsy and in March 2013, was diagnosed with stage 2B Hodgkin lymphoma. The lymphoma had been strangling my windpipe which was why I could barely speak on some days. Within a few weeks I had started treatment with ABVD chemotherapy.

It’s now over ten and a half years since my Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis and for me it has been like playing Whac-A-Mole. Just when I think I’ve got rid of it, it pops up somewhere else. But despite its persistence, I have managed to deal with it and am able to live my life and, for the bulk of the time, continue touring with the band.

In 2014 I had a stem cell transplant and was in hospital for several weeks. I had to miss shows and I hated it; it really gave me the push to get back to work as soon as possible.

In June 2015 I needed more treatment, and the medical team were suggesting radiotherapy and chemotherapy. I was aware of a trial for pembrolizumab, which is a type of immunotherapy that stimulates the body’s immune system to fight the cancer cells. I pushed hard to go down that route and from June 2015 until the end of 2022 I was able to have an infusion and get on with life. The hardest thing during that time was scheduling the treatment between work commitments.

For the last two years, my oncologist has been saying that the pembrolizumab was losing its efficacy, not working as well as it had been. I now needed to consider another form of treatment. Pembrolizumab plus three chemotherapy drugs were given, but they didn’t put me into a remission.

At the end of July 2023, I started six cycles of brentuximab and novolumab. The big difference with this treatment is that – once again – I have lost my hair. Back in 2013 when I was having treatment with ABVD, I lost my hair for the first time. Having never cut my hair since I was about 11 or 12 this was really difficult for me. It was part of my identity and as a rock guitar player, who is also quite shy, my hair was something I could hide behind when performing. Back then I went to see a theatrical wig maker who took pictures and measurements and made me a very realistic, and very expensive, wig. But the wig didn’t feel right to me and after 12 minutes I pulled it off and never put it back on.

“Def Leppard concerts are real performances and strangely losing my hair became liberating and allowed me to focus on the essence of who I am as a musician.

Only you know what you can tolerate. My bandmates thought I would stay at home and convalesce, but I never felt like that; I’m way too stubborn. There was no way I was going to let someone else do my job for me. I had to convince the others though, and I recall times when they would look at me with no hair and looking weak and emaciated. But I felt strong enough to carry on and I didn’t want the lymphoma to get in my way.

“In fact, the bigger story of Def Leppard is one of resilience. The original guitar player passed away, which was how I became part of the band in the first place, and we have a drummer with one arm due to a car accident. This is real life, we are real people and we continue to go from strength to strength.

In many ways I am living an accelerated life. I have worked harder since my lymphoma and even started another band called ‘Last in Line’ which has also released records and goes on tour.

For me, it’s always been about managing my cancer and my doctors and I stay one step ahead of it to keep it under control. It’s also reassuring that new drugs are coming along.

I keep fit, doing weight training several times a week, but I have always kept fit. I am fortunate to continue doing a job I love, touring worldwide and playing songs that have been around for over 40 years. When the audience is excited, we really feed off that and give it back. I feel very fortunate to be in Def Leppard and am enormously grateful for the career I’ve had. I am also extremely lucky to have the support of my wonderful wife who has been through a lot with me over the years.’