A rock singer had some tragic news to share with fans. Her cancer battle took a turn for the worse. Rock singer Amanda Somerville has revealed that she is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer that doctors cannot remove through surgery.
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The singer, known for her work with Epica, Avantasia and Kamelot, shared the devastating update with fans Sunday, Oct. 11. She explained that she will never be cured of the rare form of cancer. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments in Germany.
Somerville said she was diagnosed Sept. 8 with diffuse midline glioma, a rare cancerous tumor affecting the central nervous system. Sadly, according to Somerville, doctors are unable to operate on the tumor.
"My dear Somervilliains, I owe you a personal word,"
she wrote on Facebook."Many of you have heard by now — the news has been traveling faster than I have. And I'm sorry it's taken me this long to speak to you directly. These past weeks have been a blur of hospitals, scans, biopsies and difficult conversations. And I needed time to understand what we're facing before I could find the words. And with 3 little girls, it's imperative that I can function."The musician continued describing her current experience.
Rock Singer Reveals Sad News
"On September 8th, I was diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma (DMG) — an aggressive, cancerous brain tumor that is unfortunately not operable and is only treated to gain time," Somerville added. "I am currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy here in Germany, and Sander Gommans is by my side through all of it. I won't pretend this isn't serious. It is. But I am being cared for by excellent doctors. And we are pursuing every option available to us, including new treatments that give us real reason for hope."
The rock singer shares three young daughters with Sander Gommans. She apologized to fans for not addressing the situation sooner, explaining that recent weeks had been consumed by medical appointments, scans, biopsies and difficult conversations about her future.
The Michigan-born singer has spent decades establishing herself in the European rock and heavy metal scene. Her career includes collaborations with Epica, Kamelot and Avantasia, along with performances alongside rock legends Alice Cooper and also Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan. She also fronts the musical projects Trillium and Kiske Somerville, the latter alongside Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske.
In 2008, Somerville temporarily replaced Epica singer Simone Simons during the band's North American tour after Simons experienced health problems. Despite the uncertainty surrounding her diagnosis, Somerville expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support she has received from fans.
