RATT's Stephen Pearcy Battling Cancer
- RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy, 65, is currently battling liver cancer.
- He had surgery to treat the disease and is now going public with his diagnosis in the hopes that it will help others.
- Pearcy says he’s grateful for the moments he has; focusing on positivity and gratitude while fighting cancer can help.
Pearcy says, "I'm on a ritual and monitoring things. I don't know what I'm still doing here but, look, I'm appreciating every day and every minute above ground here because all of our peers are seemingly disappearing it's all a drag.”
He explains, “[The cancer is] under control and I never wanted to bring it up until I really started feeling guilty about it, like how I found out is just through a blood test I had hepatitis. Then getting a check-up and another check-up is how I found out. [They told me,] 'By the way, you've got a bit of cancer in there.”
“Then your whole world changes,” says Pearcy. “So I didn't feel like it needed to be out there until I started feeling guilty like, yeah, man, I can help some people. [I can tell people,] 'Get blood tests. Take care of yourself.'”
The musician shared that he had surgery to treat his cancer, too. "I went on the road nine days after surgery," says Pearcy, "not even knowing the outcome of my surgery removing the cancer. So that was pretty interesting.”
Focusing on the Good Through Cancer
Pearcy has made it clear that he’s grateful to be living each moment, and that he appreciates every single day. For many, a cancer diagnosis can amplify those feelings of gratitude towards life and living.
Our experts tell us that having a positive attitude, as Pearcy does, can help prognoses, too. Cedars-Sinai’s Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon, says in an earlier interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK.”
“Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow. But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease,” says Dr. Murrell. “And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Keeping a Cancer Diagnosis Private
In his recent interview, Pearcy explains, “It’s personal to me,” when talking about his cancer. And health is a deeply personal matter, which is why some people may decide to keep their cancer battles private.
Pearcy hopes that in going public with his disease he can help others. He continuously stressed the importance of getting tested and being up-to-date on check-ups. We do know that screening saves lives, and we’re grateful to Pearcy for using his diagnosis to encourage others to put their health first.
Dealing With Grief After a Cancer Diagnosis
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