Nightwish frontwoman Floor Jansen has revealed she is suffering from breast cancer.
In a post of social media, Jansen states "my prognosis is very good" and says that the cancer seems non-aggressive and has not spread. She will be undergoing surgery to remove the tumour tomorrow and also states she is hopeful of making the start of Nightwish's upcoming European tour, which kicks off on November 20 in Antwerp.
The full statement reads: "A letter to you. Life comes in waves, with ups and downs.
"I have had the joy of riding many highs, and I have shared these with you through social media and the many many shows worldwide throughout the many years of my career.
"But now a new wave hit me. Not a good one. I have breast cancer. It was diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago and I will have surgery tomorrow to remove the tumour. My prognosis is very good!!! It seems to be a non-aggressive cancer, which seems to not have spread. I will keep my breast. And I will be cancer free after this surgery, plus a local radiation treatment that will take place three months after this surgery, hopefully. We will know more after the surgery to see if this positive prognosis stands.
"The word cancer is a shocker. All that you found important in life before this diagnosis changes radically within minutes. Now I just want to be healthy again. I want to see my daughter grow into a woman; I want to live! And the scariest part of this diagnosis is that I thought I was healthy! I didn’t feel the cancer, I didn’t know it was there until I, as a 40+ woman, went to a standard mammogram checkup. Something many countries offer, for free even for the lucky ones.
"Had I not gone there, the tumour would have gone undetected. In a year from now this could have grown much bigger. The thought of that makes me share this story with you. A mammogram is lifesaving! It’s uncomfortable and you might think that you won’t have something in your breasts anyway but GO! And for the men reading this: remind your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister to go and get checked. Even without the luxury I as a western woman experience with free mammogram checkups: GO! Luckily, there are many organisations that offer information about self-detection if you do not have access or funds for a mammogram.
"If I might inspire you to take good care of yourself, then something good will come out of this cancer diagnosis.
"If all goes as planned, I will be up and running in time for the European tour with Nightwish, that will start on the 20th of November! And I am optimistic since my prognosis is good! I promise to take good care of myself.
"I will be off the grid for a while to focus on myself.
"Thank you for reading this letter."
Jansen had recently released three solo singles, Fire, Storm and Me Without You, which had shown a more pop-orientated sound than Nightwish's symphonic prog metal.
Louder wishes Floor a speedy recovery.
