The Wanted Singer Tom Parker Reveals Glioblastoma Diagnosis—What Does This Mean?

Tom Parker, a member of the boy band The Wanted, is battling glioblastoma, the singer revealed.

He shared the news in an Instagram post as well as in an interview with OK! magazine.

 

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Hey guys, you know that we’ve both been quiet on social media for a few weeks and it’s time to tell you why. There’s no easy way to say this but I’ve sadly been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour and I’m already undergoing treatment. We decided, after a lot of thought, that rather than hiding away and trying to keep it a secret, we would do one interview where we could lay out all the details and let everyone know the facts in our own way. We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way. We don’t want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options. It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this. Tom and Kelsey xxx @ok_mag

A post shared by Tom Parker (@tomparkerofficial) on Oct 11, 2020 at 11:08pm PDT

According to Parker, 32, he suffered two seizures over the summer, the second of which was more serious and took place during a family trip. He received the diagnosis shortly after the second seizure.

Parker and his wife, Kelsey Hardwick, said the singer is going to fight the stage four tumor despite being told his cancer is terminal.

Hardwick told OK! that the couple did not ask the doctors for a timeline regarding her husband’s diagnosis.

“I said that for Tom’s state of mind, and who he is as a person, that would not be good for him,” she explained. “He would literally sit here and count down the days and not live his life.”

Parker and his family are remaining optimistic. He told the magazine, “There are so many stories of people who were given a bad prognosis and are still here five, 10, even 15 years later. We’re going to fight this all the way.”

Parker’s bandmates from The Wanted have also been a source of support, according to Hardwick.

“Siva [Kaneswaran] and Nathan [Sykes] obviously live a lot further away, but all four of the boys have been texting regularly and sending through different articles and possible treatments and therapies that they’re all reading about. They’ve been amazing,” she told OK!.

What to Know About Glioblastoma

According to Mayo Clinic, “Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord.” A diagnosis may encompass a neurological exam, imaging tests, and/or a biopsy. Symptoms may include headache, seizures, vomiting, difficulty thinking, mood changes, blurred vision, and difficulty speaking.

Eligible patients may undergo surgery to remove the tumor. A surgeon will work to remove as much of the tumor as possible, but it is very difficult to remove the entire tumor. Radiation and/or chemotherapy are also used as treatment options, either postoperatively to remove the rest of the tumor that could not be removed during surgery, or as primary treatment in patients who cannot undergo surgery.

Glioblastomas make up an estimated 15% of all brain tumors, according to the American Brain Tumor Association, and they’re slightly more common in males than females.

According to The Brain Tumor Charity, the average survival for glioblastoma is 12 to 18 months, with only a quarter of patients surviving longer than a year; just 5% of patients survive past five years.