Boyband star undergoes chemotherapy for rare blood disorder
Lawson singer Andy Brown has shared a health update after undergoing chemotherapy for a rare blood disorder.
The 38-year-old previously told fans that he had been living with the condition for over 10 years, and was now in need of a stem cell transplant.
Although the health issue previously hadn’t “massively affected” his daily life apart from “frequent blood tests and the occasional infection”, Brown recently learned he had “a very high chance of developing leukaemia” without treatment.
He told fans and supporters that he had been struggling, four days into chemotherapy to treat the illness.
“Day 4 of chemo done,” he wrote in a post on Instagram on Tuesday (20 May). “It’s stepped up big time the last couple of days, not feeling the best at the moment, but there’s just no way round it.”
However, he explained that his stem cell transplant was imminent.
“Three more days to go, then the new stem cells go in next Tuesday!” Brown explained. “Staying positive as much as I can, but I won’t pretend it’s easy. I’ve spent years being so mindful of what I put into my body, 10 years sober, clean eating, all of it.
“So feeling what this chemo is doing hits hard. But I know it’s part of the fight. It’s about accepting it, getting through it, and coming back stronger.”
Brown was lead singer of the boyband Lawson during the early 2010s and now works as a photographer. The group was also made up of musicians Ryan Fletcher, Joel Peat and Adam Pitts.
First formed in 2009, the band were initially called The Groves before being renamed Lawson after neurosurgeon Dr David Lawson who performed life-saving brain surgery on Brown in 2007, removing a non-cancerous brain tumour from the nerve in his inner ear.
They developed an online fan base performing acoustic covers of Adele and Bruno Mars, and went on to perform gigs across the UK.
They went on to achieve mainstream success with their debut album, Chapman Square, released in 2012. Lawson achieved five top 10 hits in the UK music charts, including “When She Was Mine”, “Taking Over Me” and “Standing in the Dark”.
Speaking about his luck in finding a stem cell donor, Brown previously wrote: “I have a 100% matching donor. I find it so overwhelming that a total stranger, someone I’ve never met, is willing to give up their cells and blood to save my life. That’s just incredible.
“With everything awful going on in the world, it’s easy to lose faith in people, but then you see things like this, people willing to do something so selfless, and it restores your hope.
“Not everyone is lucky enough to find a match though. That’s why I really want to spread awareness about stem cell donation. If more people sign up to the donor register, more lives can be saved.”
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