In a new interview, Jeff Bridges provided an update about his health, telling AARP Magazine that the tumor associated with his lymphoma has decreased in size and is now just “the size of a marble.”
Bridges, who announced in 2019 that he was battling the disease, last updated fans in 2022, when he said, just before the first season of his critically acclaimed FX series “The Old Man” was released, that he is in remission. But around the same time, he also revealed that he’d caught COVID-19 while treating his lymphoma, and in his interview with AARP, he admits that it hit him particularly hard.
“A lot of getting better was a matter of setting really small goals. At first they’d say, ‘How long can you stand?’ For a while, my record was 45 seconds before I’d collapse,” Bridges told AARP. “And then they were saying: ‘Oh, look, you’re standing for a minute! That’s so cool, now can you walk 5 feet?’”
“So at first I said, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ But eventually that became, ‘Maybe I can.’ I have to admit that I was still frightened of going back to work. Then I began to think of my recovery as a gift being presented,” he said also.
Bridges first announced his diagnosis in October 2019, with a defiantly optimistic statement. “As the Dude would say,” Bridges wrote, referring to his “The Big Lebowski” character, “new S**T has come to light. I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.”
