‘American Idol’ Star Avalon Young, 26, on the Symptom That Led to Her Brain Cancer Diagnosis
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American Idol season 15 finalist Avalon Young announced she has brain cancer.
After undergoing one brain surgery already, she needs a second to fully remove a tumor, plus radiation and chemotherapy.
As an independent artist, she has minimal insurance and is asking for medical bill assistance through a GoFundMe page.
When Avalon Young made it to the Top 8 on Season 15 of American Idol, she had no idea that five years later, she’d use her platform to talk about brain cancer.
Earlier this month, the 26-year-old revealed that, after having a peach-sized tumor removed from her brain in February (which required 16 hours of surgery), she got “some of the worst news ever” when doctors informed her that she has cancer, which requires a second surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
“Everything was fine until literally, the week of Thanksgiving [2020], I started having three seizures a day, which was super super intense for me,” the singer recently told TMZ. After getting tons of bloodwork done that came back normal, seeing a therapist, and visiting a holistic doctor, an MRI revealed a mass legion tumor on her left frontal lobe.
“When I found out I had a brain tumor I wanted to do a bunch of sh*t I’ve never done before so I shaved my head,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m trying to act like it didn’t happen, but it’s something that’s pretty hard to ignore.”
As an independent artist with minimal insurance, Young’s medical bills are already stacking up, which is why her family started a GoFundMe page to hopefully gain some financial relief.
“The GoFundMe is honestly one of the most important things in my life right now,” she told TMZ. “It’s really all that we have holding us up for paying all the medical bills.”
The fund’s most recent update, provided by Young’s mom, revealed that her second surgery is set to take place on May 27. “Radiation and chemotherapy will follow,” it read. “We are confident our medical team will continue to perform miracles and Avalon will recover quickly.”
The new surgery will likely be a laser operation, which will thankfully, be less invasive than the first that left a large scar running the side of Young’s head.
When the R&B artist announced her diagnosis on Instagram, she was clearly disheartened but optimistic about the future. “Unreal to receive this news at the age of 26. Everything is gonna be okay, the journey is gonna be wild, but I’m ready for it,” she wrote. “Love you guys a ton. F*ck cancer.”
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