Black Eyed Peas star reveals battle with cancer

Black Eyed Peas star Taboo has revealed the story of his “crazy, crazy” experience battling with cancer.

Real name Jimmy Luis Gomez, the American rapper, 41, was diagnosed with stage two testicular cancer after he rushed himself to A&E in 2014, thinking he had flu.

He was given the all-clear after treatment, but has waited until the right moment to tell the world about his experience.

Speaking on US chat show The Doctors, the father-of-three went into detail about what he went through.

Revealing how the diagnosis came about, he said: “I once fell off the stage and broke my tail bone. I never really got it fixed, so I would have this acute pain in my lower back, but I didn’t think anything of it.

“The pain started to increase, but sometimes in the industry we don’t listen to our bodies.”

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Then, one day, “I felt like I had the flu, but I had this crazy pain”.

He went to A&E and underwent tests. Hours later he was told the seriousness of his illness and taken straight into surgery.

He told the show: “The first thing I thought about was my wife, my kids, my family.”

But the rapper said he was encouraged by a friend to hold off from sharing his story on social media until he could use it in a way that would help others going through a similar story.

“I went through this crazy, crazy experience that I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” he told the show. “I learnt resilience, to listen to my body, and to appreciate every moment that I’m on this planet.”

He joined up with American Cancer Society and proceeds from his song The Fight – inspired by his experience – will support the group’s work.

In an interview with People magazine, he explained that his surgery on the “mother ship” – his right testicle – was followed by three months of aggressive chemotherapy.

“There were times that I wanted to give up, but I became inspired by sports figures who have gone through similar battles,” he said.

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“I began channelling my energy into the thing that keeps me alive and spirited: Music. I wanted to share my story and inspire others like those who had inspired me.”

He chose to keep news of his battle a secret until he could show his fans that he had “made it out the other side stronger”, writing lyrics in the meantime.

“I had chemo brain and kept fading in and out, but my team kept me focused because they knew how important it was.”

We wish him a super speedy recovery!