Warning: Contains SPOILERS for A Quiet Place: Day One!

Summary

A Quiet Place: Day Onereveals that Sam has a sickness, but since it is a little vague, a lot of viewers have wondered what sickness she actually has. ThroughoutA Quiet Place: Day One, Sam’s illness is mentioned several times, with it being a big motivator for the character. Sam’s very first scene shows her living in hospice, meaning that the sickness is serious, so here is what she actually has during thestory ofA Quiet Place: Day One.

A Quiet Place: Day Oneis the critically acclaimedprequel to the belovedA Quiet Placefranchise, and rather than focusing on the pre-existing characters, it instead tells an all-new story set in New York City.The cast ofA Quiet Place: Day Onestars Lupita Nyong’oas the protagonist Sam, with her working alongside a handful of other survivors to escape New York. However, Sam has a different motive, with her terminal illness making her wonder if escaping New York is even worth it.

Collage image of Emily Blunt, a monster, and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place

Sam Has An Unspecified Type Of Terminal Cancer In A Quiet Place: Day One

The Film Doesn’t Reveal Exactly What Type Of Cancer It Is

ThroughoutA Quiet Place: Day One,Sam’s illness is constantly referenced, with it being revealed that she has terminal cancer. The cancer is the reason that Sam is in hospice at the beginning of the film, with her initial group of friends being other residents and employees of the hospice center that she is at.

Sam only makes it to the city due to her hospice group going on a trip to see a marionette show.

A Quiet Place Day One Poster Showing Lupita Nyong’o Covering Her Mouth

Interestingly,A Quiet Place: Day Onenever revealsexactly what type of terminal cancer she has in the film. Leaving the cancer unspecified doesn’t add or take away much from the story, with it being a small mystery for viewers. There aren’t really any hints as to what kind of cancer Sam has, with it being a point of speculation amongA Quiet Place: Day Onefans.

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How Sam’s Terminal Cancer Diagnosis Influences Her Decisions In A Quiet Place: Day One

It Is Why She Wants To Get Pizza Rather Than Escape

Sam’s terminal cancer is one of the biggest influences on her character throughoutA Quiet Place: Day One, with it being what drives most of her decisions. Most of the other characters in the film want to escape New York, hoping to outlive the alien invasion. This isn’t the case for Sam, however,as she knows that she will die soon anyway.

Because of her acknowledgment of this dark reality, Sam wants to make her last days filled with good memories rather than escaping. Because of this,Sam wants to go get one last slice of pizzabefore her death, recognizing that this memory will make her happier in her final days than her escaping New York would. This sad but beautiful character arc is what makes Sam so special, with it being at the heart ofA Quiet Place: Day One.

A Quiet Place: Day One

Cast

A Quiet Place: Day One is a spin-off of the A Quiet Place franchise conceived by John Krasinski. The film is set at the beginning of the invasion as humanity scrambles to survive, before the events of the original film, with Lupita Nyong’O leading the cast, directed by Michael Sarnoski.