During an exclusive episode of The Doctor’s, Taboo declared that he has been struggling with testicular cancer for quite some time. Unfortunately, he discovered his illness late as he confused his symptoms with an early tailbone accident and had to undergo aggressive chemotherapy.
- Taboo’s real name is Jaime Luis Gomes.
- The Black Eyed Peas member believed his back hurt due to a tailbone incident, brushing the symptoms away.
- The initial diagnosis was stage II testicular cancer.
- Taboo’s right testicle was surgically removed.
Jaime Luis Gomes fell on stage more than ten years ago while performing with the Black Eyed Peas. At the time, his schedule was too full to allow him to let his injuries heal, so for eight years he attributed his lower back pain to the broken tailbone.
However, in 2014 the pain became unbearable. During one night, he also started developing additional flu-like symptoms that ultimately convinced him to seek medical attention.
After telling doctors about his constant spine, back, and abdomen pain, they decided to run a full set of tests, discovering that he was living with stage II testicular cancer.
The artist declared that when he first heard the news, he thought about his family and convinced himself that he would beat the disease and carry on with his life.
Since the cancerous cells had already spread to the lymph nodes, doctors advised him to have his right testicle removed and undergo a couple of aggressive rounds of chemotherapy.
According to Gomes, chemotherapy was one of the worst parts of the entire experience, the singer feeling like he was tortured at all times. However, nothing was as bad as not being able to pick up his children for more than half a year due to his post-surgery stitches.
In the end, the effort was worth it as the rapper is now cancer-free and able to spend time with his children.
The whole cancer experience brought him a new perspective on life, the artist getting more involved in raising cancer awareness.
Apart from the new song that was inspired by his testicular cancer struggle, Taboo is also constantly reminding his fans never to ignore the signs of their bodies and seek medical attention whenever they feel like something is amiss.
Image source: Wikipedia
Paula says
TABOO…I totally am sorry for you having cancer..I felt so helpless when i watched a true man sat there on the stage crying .God has plans for u so love your kids more and your wife and yourself more everyday be happy….