The Wanted member Tom Parker revealed his battle with stage IV glioblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer affecting the brain or spinal cord, on Monday, October 12.
The “Glad You Came” crooner, 32, shared the news of his diagnosis via Instagram alongside a photo of himself posing with his wife, Kelsey Hardwick, and their 15-month-old daughter, Aurelia.
“Hey guys, you know that we’ve both been quiet on social media for a few weeks and it’s time to tell you why. There’s no easy way to say this but I’ve sadly been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour and I’m already undergoing treatment,” he wrote. “We decided, after a lot of thought, that rather than hiding away and trying to keep it a secret, we would do one interview where we could lay out all the details and let everyone know the facts in our own way.”
The British star continued, “We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way. We don’t want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options. It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this.”
Parker told the U.K.’s OK! magazine that he received his inoperable glioblastoma diagnosis six weeks ago. Leading up to that point, he had two seizures this past summer and was subsequently hospitalized.
“They pulled the curtain around my bed and said, ‘It’s a brain tumor,’” he recalled. “All I could think was, ‘F–king hell!’ I was in shock. It’s stage four glioblastoma and they’ve said it’s terminal. It was a lot to deal with by myself. I still haven’t processed it.”
Glioblastoma is what caused the deaths of Senator John McCain in 2018 and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, Beau Biden, in 2015. According to Healthline, the average survival rate for glioblastoma is 15 to 16 months but in some rare cases, a patient can live up to five or more years.
The American Brain Tumor Association stated that radiation and chemotherapy are methods used to decelerate the tumor’s growth post-surgery or for those who have immovable tumors.
In May, Parker and his 30-year-old wife announced that they are expecting their second child together. At the time, he told Britain’s OK! magazine how parenthood was “such an adjustment” for him.
“You lose the freedom of being able to do whatever you want to do, because you’ve got another human to be responsible for,” the “Chasing the Sun” crooner said. “Once I got over the initial shock of my life being turned upside down, I was OK. When [our daughter] was out of the newborn stage, and was smiling and laughing, that made me relax into being a parent.”
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