Dan Bongino, the new deputy director of the FBI, is a cancer survivor; how he beat Hodgkin lymphoma

Dan Bongino, the acclaimed podcaster and commentator has been appointed as deputy director of the FBI by US President Donald Trump. The 50-year-old would join Kash Patel, who was confirmed as the FBI director a couple of days back. Praising Bongino, President Donald Trump described him as "a man of incredible love and passion for our Country". Bongino has previously worked for the New York police department and the Secret Service. He wouldn't need a Senate confirmation to be appointed.
Bongino is known for his daily podcast The Dan Bongino Show and has a huge social media following. He is married to Paula for nearly two decades and the couple have two daughters - Isabel, 17, and Amelia, 9.
Bongino is a cancer survivor and was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020 after a tumour in his throat was found cancerous. Being 45 and no alcohol and smoking addiction, it was difficult for him to accept his diagnosis. However, after the initial shock wore off, he took it all in a positive spirit, and considered it as a gift by God that made him realise 'we have an expiration date'. He shared his cancer journey on his podcast.
There were difficult days when his chemo hiccups just won't stop, and his wife was the source of biggest support for him. He could finally beat Hodgkin lymphoma a year later, but he admitted on Instagram how his cancer journey “changed him forever.”

“No pity parties here… but I do want to share an important message that I hope with all my heart helps you,” he captioned the video of cancer journey on Insta, where he shared details about his ups and downs as he battled the disease.
Bongino wasn't expecting the cancer diagnosis as he was just 45 at the time and didn't smoke, never did drugs, and didn't really drink. “Well, maybe a little,” he added.
He was also regular with his workouts and quite fit, and continued it during and after cancer too.
“I was given the gift by God of finding out that we all have an expiration date,” he said. Once we acknowledge that we have an expiration date like every other living being on the planet, we often start changing our perspective on life. “Every minute of your life is a gift.”
A fan who happened to be a nurse spotted a lump on his neck while watching him on TV. That simple observation led to a life-changing diagnosis: Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells and weakens the immune system. For a man known for his toughness and discipline, the news came as a devastating shock.
“I broke down sobbing on a plane,” Bongino admitted, recalling the moment he learned of his condition. The uncertainty was overwhelming. “I didn’t yet know what type of cancer, what my prognosis was. I thought of my two little girls. I saw a mall under construction and thought, ‘I’m never going to see what stores go in there.’”

Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer affecting white blood cells called lymphocytes, which aid in protecting the body from diseases and infections. The two most common forms are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Bongino was diagnosed with the former.
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Bongino shared the chemotherapy side effects that kept him awake all night. The next morning, he would go to work like nothing happened.
"There are some really poignant moments when you go through cancer," he said. "The worst part of the chemo for me wasn't the nausea, I wasn't nauseous at all. The worst part for me was the darn hiccups, they call them chemo hiccups. It just never stopped."
"I would get choked up, because I could not go to sleep because of these damn chemo hiccups," he said. "My wife I was like a child. She would be patting my back like she was burping a child and we would be up to two or three in the morning. She would be like, 'I can't watch you go through this.'"
"You know, I don't like to tell my audience, because I always said I wouldn't do a show when I didn't feel like it, but there were a couple days where I was on the borderline, like 'I don't know if I can do this today,’" Bongino admitted. "And I was like, 'you know what, I'm gonna do it, this isn't that bad, and I'll get through it. Toughen up, don't be a wuss, and get on the air.'"
Toughening up in the moments of weakness or fear is what helped him get going.
"Toughen up, cut the bullshit, the world's a tough place, stop feeling bad for yourself," Bongino said of his self-mantras. "Every time I think 'poor me' I go into the oncology clinic. I met a lady with stage 4 stomach cancer who had two weeks to live. When you think, 'Nobody has it worse than me,' I promise you, I can probably go find 1,000 people who have it worse than you. Self pity? That's all bullshit. Seriously. Toughen up. I'm not lecturing anyone else, I'm telling you how I get through it."