Johnny Lever recalls how his son Jesse’s tumour kept growing: ‘He could’ve got paralysed’

Johnny Lever on son`s tumout

Johny Lever has always tickled our funny bones with his memorable stints on-screen. However, his real life has not been easy. The actor went through a tough time when his son Jesse was diagnosed with tumour at the age of 10. She shares how doctors were against surgery while a priest in US gave him faith.

Johnny Lever on son's battle with tumour

In a podcast with Kunickaa Sadanand the Housefull 5 actor recalls, "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."

Johnny Lever on Jesse's treatment in US

The actor further expressed that he felt helpless and shared, "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.'"

He concluded, "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."

Talking about Jesse now, he is a social media personality and often posts fun videos. While Johnny's daughter Jamie is also a comedian and travels around the world.