Lawson’s lead vocalist Andy Brown has revealed his health diagnosis for the first time, which puts him at risk of leukaemia.
The singer, 38, who rose to fame in the 2010s boy band, shared an image from his hospital bed as he shared that he has been privately dealing with a rare blood disorder for the past decade.
‘For the past 10 years, I’ve been living with a rare blood disorder. Up to now, it hadn’t massively affected my day-to-day life, apart from frequent blood tests and the occasional infection, but as things stand, if it’s not treated, I have a very high chance of developing leukaemia.
‘I’ve been under close supervision at King’s College Hospital in London, which has one of the country’s leading haematology departments. And after a lot of discussions, we’ve come to the decision that the best way to prevent leukaemia is for me to have a stem cell transplant.
He then revealed that he has found a donor – a person who he has never met.
‘I have a 100% matching donor. I find it so overwhelming that a total stranger, someone I’ve never met, is willing to give up their cells and blood to save my life. That’s just incredible. With everything awful going on in the world, it’s easy to lose faith in people, but then you see things like this, people willing to do something so selfless, and it restores your hope.’
He then explained that he was hoping sharing his story would encourage others to learn about stem cell donation and sign the register. He added that he would update fans on his journey and share his story as he hopes to make a full recovery.
‘Day 4 of chemo done,’ he said at the beginning of a recent post about his treatment plan as he shared an update.
‘It’s stepped up big time the last couple of days, not feeling the best at the moment, but there’s just no way around it. Three more days to go, then the new stem cells go in next Tuesday!’
Andy added that although he was being upbeat, the chemotherapy had been gruelling.
‘Staying positive as much as I can, but I won’t pretend it’s easy. I’ve spent years being so mindful of what I put into my body, ten years sober, clean eating, all of it.
‘So feeling what this chemo is doing hits hard. But I know it’s part of the fight. It’s about accepting it, getting through it, and coming back stronger.’
‘Anyway, next week is when the real battle begins. That’s when the transplant happens, and my body starts the process of rebuilding from scratch. It’s a second chance at life, and not everyone gets that opportunity.
‘Stem cell donors are hard to find. You could literally be the match that saves a little girl’s life, a dad’s life, someone’s world. If you’re healthy and able, please consider signing up to the register. It takes minutes, but it can change everything for someone like me.
‘This is just another chapter. Nothing is gonna stop me #StemCellTransplant#ChemoJourney.’
This comes just a week after he announced to fans that he had been living with a rare blood disorder for 10 years.
Andy has previously battled other health issues, and 18 years ago he had a brain tumour removed.
When the band was actually originally called The Groves but opted to be renamed Lawson after David Lawson, a consultant neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool, who operated on Andy.
The singer credited the doctor with saving his life in 2007 after a gruelling 17-hour-long operation to remove an acoustic neuroma, a non-cancerous brain tumour that was growing on the nerve of his inner ear.
Lawson hasn’t released an album since 2021, and Andy appears to have found focus in his new photography career.
The singer was supported by various fans and friends in the music industry.
Zoe Ball commented: ‘sending love 🧡.’
Laura Whitmore added: ‘Think of you Andy. You’ve got this! ❤️’
Max George commended: ‘You got this mate 💪❤️’
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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