JONO’S CANCER CRISIS

While the rest of the Lego Masters cast eagerly awaited the show’s premiere, that same night, contestant Jono Samson was anxiously sitting in his doctor’s surgery, waiting on the results of his cancer check-up. And the news is good – the 44-year-old Gisborne fatherof-three was relieved to hear his myeloma lymphoma blood cancer hasn’t returned!

“I got diagnosed with lymphoma at the end of 2020 and went through six months of chemo just before the show,” he tells Woman’s Day. “I’m now concentrating on my health, healing, my kids and my Lego.” And part of that healing has seen him use Lego to champion neurodiverse people like himself. Jono was 40 and at his “absolute lowest” when he was diagnosed with ADHD – a comforting moment that had him in tears, he admits. Now, like his Lego Masters partner Dan, he wants to set up Lego workshops to help others, including his sons Connor, nine, who has ADHD and is autistic, Kaden, eight, who has ADHD, and Lennox, six, who is also likely to be diagnosed as neurodiverse. “For me, Lego creates quiet in my head,” says Jono. “Otherwise it’s just noise all the time – there’s a marching band, narration by Morgan Freeman and a monkey running around with a pair of cymbals.

“I got told my entire life that I’d reach some imaginary potential if I tried harder. It set me up for failure. Now

I talk to my boys about ADHD, coping mechanisms and how to get the most out of themselves.”

As for the future, Jono says, “I live in the moment because I don’t know how to plan – my brain doesn’t work that way. But I want to grab life by the bricks and share some hope with people who are nuerodiverse like me.” Lego Masters NZ screens 7.30pm Mondays and Tuesdays on TVNZ 2. If you’re struggling with your mental health, please text or call 1737 at any time to speak to a trained counsellor.