Spartacus's Andy Whitfield's Final Fight Against Cancer

This is such a sad story.

Andy Whitfield was an up and coming actor, star of the intense series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

After filming the first season, he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

He went through a round of chemotherapy and was feeling well enough to start season two of Spartacus.

Then, during a routine check up required by insurance, they found his cancer was back.

This time he'd need intense, debilitating chemotherapy or else he would only have 3-6 months to live.

The married father of two decided along with his wife, Vashti, that they would film his second battle with cancer.

They filmed for over a year, until he died at age 39 in September of last year.

His wife said:

"When we decided to do this, we felt that if we're going to go through something like this, let's see what we can learn and share. Otherwise, it's just another wasted journey."

The film will be called, Be Here Now, and Whitfield himself, who has that phrase tattooed on his arm, explained:

"In my heart, I am convinced that this is all meant to be. And I'm open to the journey and to the [discoveries] and to the adventure of all of this. 'Be here now' is all about being present and not fearing what you don't know."

His wife hopes the film will really inspire others who are going through tough times in their lives.

A Kickstarter was made to help fund the film so it can go to festivals to help others. If you'd like to donate and help Andy's story be told, you can donate HERE.

R.I.P. - Andy Whitfield

[Image via Jody Cortes/WENN.]

Tags: actor, age, blood, cancer, died, father, film, filming, heart, intense, married, mother, routine, sad, season, series, star, strong, therapy, thin, time, wife