Overview
- Mandel and his daughter, Jackelyn Shultz, disclosed the yearslong private struggle on In Depth with Graham Bensinger in their first on-camera discussion of Axel’s illness.
- Axel, 9, was diagnosed during a family trip to Hawaii and received his first chemotherapy within 24 hours of diagnosis.
- He is in remission following a bone marrow transplant from his 11-year-old sister, Abbey, though recovery remains prolonged.
- Mandel said Axel still lacks a functioning immune system and cannot attend school as the family works to rebuild his immunity.
- Shultz addressed past criticism for wearing a mask on their podcast, explaining it was to protect her hospitalized son, and Mandel noted they leaned on friends like Byron Allen and Jimmy Kimmel for support.