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

Summary

• Sam's terminal illness in A Quiet Place: Day One is never explicitly named, leaving viewers to speculate.
• Sam's cancer diagnosis shapes her decisions in the film, leading her to prioritize creating happy memories.
• A Quiet Place: Day One follows Sam's journey in New York City during the alien invasion, with Lupita Nyong'o as the lead.

story of A Quiet Place: Day One.

A Quiet Place: Day One is the critically acclaimed prequel to the beloved A Quiet Place franchise, and rather than focusing on the pre-existing characters, it instead tells an all-new story set in New York City. The cast of A Quiet Place: Day One stars Lupita Nyong'o as 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.

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

Throughout A 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.

Interestingly, A Quiet Place: Day One never reveals exactly 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 among A Quiet Place: Day One fans.

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 throughout A 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 pizza before 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 of A Quiet Place: Day One.