Kiwi Comedian Dai Henwood Shares Lung Health Struggles Amid Tumor Activity

Kiwi comedian Dai Henwood has provided an update on his cancer treatment, stating that he has had to postpone two comedy concerts owing to "tumour activity" in his lungs.

On Monday afternoon, Henwood addressed his 42,000 Instagram followers, saying he had a "beautiful summer" and was no longer undergoing cancer treatment.

"But as you can tell by my coughing, my breathing has deteriorated really quickly over the last two weeks," he told me.

"I obviously have some tumor activity in my lungs, so I'm starting chemotherapy a little earlier than expected on Wednesday."  Fingers crossed, it will calm things down and allow me to communicate and do what I enjoy most, which is comedy - and breathing, of course."

Notorious Management, the comedy management business, revealed on Friday that Henwood's Dai Hard comedy concerts in Invercargill and New Plymouth, which were scheduled to take place next month, will be postponed until June owing to "medical circumstances".

"I also apologize for the corporate gigs that I had to pull out of; it really hurts me as I have always had a pretty staunch work ethic installed in me by my late and great wonderful father and my amazing mother, and showing up and doing shows means a lot to me," Henwood went on to say.

"I'm going to do these Dai Hard shows because it means a lot to me."

Henwood added most importantly, he loved all his fans for the well wishes. 

"I just need to hunker down, take care of myself and get fighting fit," stated the athlete.

Henwood's cancer treatment began during pandemic lockdowns in 2020 when he was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer.  In January 2023, he announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

The first installment of the three-part documentary series Live and Let Dai premiered in September 2024, following the comedian as he received treatment for his incurable cancer diagnosis.

The first episode provided a brief overview of Henwood's diagnosis in 2020, following his realization that something was seriously wrong while in Japan in 2019.  The initial "intent to cure" shifted when spots were discovered on Henwood's lungs.

"It was that moment I realised I was living with cancer," he revealed.

In the second episode, Henwood discusses understanding that something is terribly wrong, and in the third, he learns to let go.