BOYBAND star Andy Brown has shared a picture from his hospital bed while undergoing chemotherapy.
The Lawson singer has told fans he has been living with a rare blood disorder for the last 10 years and needs a stem cell transplant.
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If he doesn’t have the transplant, Andy – who previously had a brain tumour removed – says there is “a very high chance” he could develop leukaemia.
Thankfully, the star has found a stem cell match and has beem undergoing a course of chemotherapy ahead of his transplant.
Andy shared the news of his current health battle on Instagram alongside a black and white snap of himself in hospital.
The dad-of-two is wearing a dressing gown in the picture and is giving a brave thumbs up to the camera, despite admitting he is struggling with the gruelling treatment.
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Andy wrote on Instagram: “Day 4 of chemo done ✅
“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. Three more days to go, then the new stem cells go in next Tuesday!
“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, ten 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.”
Andy was the lead vocalist of pop/ rock band Lawson, who achieved mainstream fame in 2012 with their debut album Chapman Square.
The group – also made up of Ryan Fletcher, Joel Peat and Adam Pitts -achieved five top 10 hits in the UK charts.
The band was named after David Lawson, a consultant neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool.
Andy credits Mr Lawson for saving his life in 2007 following 17 hours of brain surgery to remove acoustic neuroma – a non-cancerous brain tumour which grows on the nerve in the inner ear.
These days, Andy has turned his back on showbiz and works as a successful photographer.
He opened up about his blood disorder to fans in an emotive Instagram post last week.
Despite usually being private, Andy said he wanted to speak about his condition in case it helped just one person.
“For the past 10 years, I’ve been living with a rare blood disorder,” Andy said.
‘Up to now, it hadn’t massively affected my day to day life, apart from frequent blood tests and the occasional infection, but as things stand, if it’s not treated, I have a very high chance of developing Leukaemia.”
Andy went on to explain how, after “lots of discussions” with haematology experts at King’s College Hospital in London, a stem cell transplant was decided as the best course of action.
He continued: “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.”
Referring to his brain operation, Andy added: “If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I’ve had a few health scares in my life.
“I don’t take any of my second chances for granted.
“The road ahead won’t be easy, recovery is going to take time, and I’m sure there’ll be tough moments, but I’m staying as positive as I can. I’m beyond grateful to have this opportunity and a real shot at a full recovery.”
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