One beloved rocker has opened up about their recent health battle.
The Cure’s keyboardist Roger O’Donnell has revealed that he has been fighting blood cancer for nearly a year. The 68-year-old musician shared yesterday (August 31) that he was diagnosed with a “very rare and aggressive form” of lymphoma last year and has been undergoing treatment ever since.
The Friday I’m In Love hitmaker took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share the emotional update to mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month. He encouraged fans to regularly check for symptoms after admitting that he “ignored his own.”
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The performer, who hails from London, wrote: “In September last year I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. I had ignored the symptoms for a few months but finally went for a scan and after surgery the result of the biopsy was devastating.
(Image: Getty)
“I’ve now completed 11 months of treatment under some of the finest specialists in the world and with second opinions and advice from the teams that had developed the drugs I was being given.
“I had the benefit of the latest sci fi immunotherapy and some drugs that were first used 100 years ago.” Roger urged others with the “faintest thought” of symptoms to get tested.
Some of the tell-tale signs associated with blood cancer include unexplained weight loss, bruising and bleeding, lumps or swellings, night sweats and recurrent infections. He went on to thank the medical experts for all their help over the past year and urged fans to check in on friends and family who are ill and suffering.
(Image: 1987 Ross Marino)
Roger penned: “If you know someone who is ill or suffering talk to them, every single word helps, believe me I know. “I would also like to thank my Drs, rock stars every one of them, all the nurses and technicians, my friends and Mimi, sometimes it’s harder to be on the other side of this…”
It comes after Roger pulled out of the band’s Latin America tour for “health reasons” last November.
In a social media statement, The Cure told fans: “We are sure you will join with us in wishing him the speediest of recoveries.” The star has been taking cancer drugs and is currently undergoing immunotherapy and radiotherapy.
In another post, the star could be seen smiling at the camera with noticeably less hair than usual. He captioned the post: “The hair isn’t out of choice hahahah” hinting to the loss of hair through his treatment.
Roger had previously revealed to fans that he had a “serious health issue” after he pulled out of a performance in Mexico 2023. The Cure was formed in Crawley, West Sussex in the 1970s.
But it wasn’t until 1987 that Roger joined the group. The star left the group in 1990 and once again in 2005. In 2011, he rejoined the band for good and has been performing with them ever since.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
