Magician Criss Angel just made an amazing announcement. He took to social media this week to share that his 7-year-old son Johnny's cancer is now in remission.
"This is the most important post I have ever made – PLEASE share this with everyone. " he began. "TODAY OUR SON JOHNNY CRISSTOPHER WILL FINALLY RING THE BELL SYMBOLIZING HIS REMISSION AND THE END OF HIS TREATMENT! ."
His son was diagnosed with cancer more than five years ago, and Criss is clearly full of joy and relief. Now more than ever, the magician says he truly believes in magic.
The post is incredibly emotional. In it, Criss shared a video. It's a 13-minute film documenting his son's journey with cancer over the years.
"NO NETWORK OR STREAMING PLATFORM WILL AIR THE SHORT FILM WE MADE DOCUMENTING HIS JOURNEY – '1095' – because of the subject matter… but this is real life!" he wrote.
The goal of the film is to raise money for children battling cancer. "One child every two minutes is diagnosed with cancer," Criss says in the video. "Cancer doesn't discriminate … so I want to try and be a voice for these kids and I want to try to help these families that are going through the toughest time of their life and let them know that they're not alone."
Criss feels incredibly passionate about the cause. Even before his son was diagnosed, he would volunteer his time helping kids with cancer, performing magic shows at hospitals. But sadly, the disease struck his own home.
It's been a long, hard journey since Johnny's diagnosis. At the time, Criss said he felt completely "helpless."
He discussed the diagnosis with People magazine. "My son is supposed to outlive me. I'd rather it be me that was sick," Criss said at the time. "I want Johnny's future to be long and happy. That kid is just a bundle of love. He's the truest form of magic."
In 2015, there was a glimmer of hope when Johnny went through a brief remission. Then, in December 2019, Criss revealed that the cancer had returned. Now the family is hopeful that Johnny's battle with cancer is over for good.
Criss wants people to raise hope and awareness about pediatric cancer because he says there's simply so much we can do to help those who are fighting it. In the emotional video post, his message is simple: "Magic is everywhere," he says, if we stop, take notice, and help one another.
While the father is one of the most sought-after magicians in the world, it's clear that he really does believe in magic.
