How Did Daniel Wright Die? New Details On Tragic Death Of "The Biggest Loser" Contestant At 30
Daniel Wright's death was a tragedy.
Facebook He was one of the most beloved contestants in The Biggest Loser history. So when news got out about his death, the pop culture and reality world seemed to go into mourning. How did Daniel Wright die?
In October 2017, word got out that former Biggest Loser contestant Daniel Wright was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His biggest supporters took to crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to raise $50,000 for his medical costs.
However, after a nearly two-year battle with cancer, the disease finally claimed Daniel Wright’s life. Here’s what we know about this tragedy.
1. His death was confirmed by his The Biggest Loser co-star.
According to Yahoo Finance, Daniel Wright’s death was confirmed by his co-star, Courtney Crozier Respess, who took to Facebook to share the announcement.
“I am so so heartbroken to hear about Daniel Wright this morning. He has fought SO HARD during his battle with cancer & more. This man is one of the kindest people I have ever met & is a true difference maker in this world! His faith has never faded, even in the darkest of times. I am honored to have known him!!!” she wrote, according to the outlet.
2. He worked at a weight-loss clinic with his wife, who was also a Biggest Loser contestant.
According to The Huffington Post, after he achieved success on The Biggest Loser, Daniel Wright went on to open a weight loss clinic, which he worked at with his wife Rebecca. Rebecca Wright was also a Biggest Loser contestant. In fact, many people realized that Daniel was in critical condition on Friday, when Rebecca took to social media to say that her husband’s condition had worsened.
3. Daniel Wright initially went into remission.
According to People Magazine, when Daniel Wright was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, he went into remission for a brief period. But the outlet says that, in December 2018, his leukemia came back with a vengeance, and this time, it was a much stronger version of leukemia than he’d had before.
“Within 24 hours of relapsing, Wright was transported by ambulance to an Iowa City hospital, where he spent nearly four weeks dealing with “fevers, infections, low blood counts, chemotherapy side effects, and attempts with immunotherapy treatments,” said People. The outlet went on to report that Daniel Wright was initially thought to be getting better — and even went home with his wife, Rebecca — before he passed away.
4. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is one of the deadliest forms of cancer today.
According to the American Cancer Society, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is one of the deadliest forms of cancer today. Their statistics reveal that, in 2019 alone, there have been about 6,000 new cases of the disease diagnosed in the United States today. And, so far, there have been 1,500 deaths from those new cases — which means that 25% of those diagnosed with the disease will lose their battle with it.
However, it is also not a very common cancer: it accounts for less than half of 1% of all cancers in the United States. The average person’s lifetime risk of getting ALL is about 1 in 1000. The risk is slightly higher in males than in females, and higher in whites than in African Americans.
Most importantly, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is more common in children than in adults.
We wish Daniel Wright’s family all the best during this clearly difficult time.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. Find her online at www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com and www.longlivetheuprising.com.