Samuel Johnson vows to care for his dying sister’s kids
The h award-winning d i i actor t makes k a promise to his dying sister writes ZARA ZUBEIDI
He was the man of the moment when he picked up a Gold Logie for his role in Molly last week. But beneath Samuel Johnson’s ear-to-ear smile as he took to the stage to accept his award was the heartache of his sister Connie’s decision to cease all treatment after a seven-year battle with aggressive breast cancer.
Now, Sam has admitted the incredibly close pair have started to plan what the future will hold for Connie’s two children, Willoughby, 10, and nine-yearold Hamilton.
“Connie’s got some pretty important jobs for me when it comes to her kids once she’s gone. I’ve got to make sure I get everything right,” Sam says.
Fondly known as “Uncle Puddles” to his nephews, after he fell into a puddle twice on the same day, Sam has grown very close to Connie’s boys since she was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 33 – her third major battle with cancer.
Having recently announced his retirement from acting to focus all his efforts on his sister, her family, and raising $10 million for their cancer charity Love Your Sister, Sam is adamant he won’t change his mind, despite his Logies win.
“If I’m going to retire and focus on the $10 million, I’m going to f***ing do it,” he said defiantly when asked if he’d consider returning to acting last week. Instead, Connie, 40, and Sam, 39, are preparing for their “last hurrah” – his bid to raise another $1 million in the time she has left.
Connie, meanwhile, is focused
on spending as much quality time with her sons as she can.
“My legacy with family is playing board games with Willoughby and watching Hamilton get better on his unicycle, skateboard and bike. I want them to have those fond, just normal childhood memories with their mum,” she says
It’s unsurprising that, for Connie, the reality of Willoughby and Hamilton growing up without a mum – and husband Mike without a wife – is at the front of her mind.
She admits her and Sam’s own childhood – marked by the tragic suicide of their mother – fuelled her concerns early on.
“[Willoughby and Hamilton] were three and four when I was diagnosed, and Sam and I were three and four when our mum died, and we have no memories of our mum,” Connie has revealed. “That was very hard, thinking my children wouldn’t remember me. Now I know they are old enough to have a memory of me. It might be weird little memories, but at least they will have them for the rest of their lives.”
And as she faces her final months, Connie’s doing all she can to keep life as normal as possible for her boys.
‘I’ve got to make sure I get everything right’