Wilko Johnson: Too Tough For Cancer
Get well Wilko!
:bananaman:
Wilko Johnson released from hospital after emergency cancer operation | Music | theguardian.com
Wilko Johnson released from hospital after emergency cancer operation
He was told in January 2013 that he had less than a year to live, but the musician, 66, is said to be making 'excellent progress'
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Wilko Johnson is reportedly "making excellent progress" after undergoing an emergency pancreatic-cancer operation on 30 April. The musician, 66, who was told in January 2013 that he had less than a year to live, has now been released from hospital and is "recuperating" at home.
The "incredibly positive" news comes from Johnson's former band, Dr Feelgood: "We're sure you will be as delighted as we are that after making excellent progress at Addenbrooke's over the last few weeks, Wilko is now convalescing back at his home," they wrote on Facebook. "Naturally after such an extensive procedure, Wilko is extremely tired, and it will take him some time to recuperate, so he asks that you respect his privacy."
Although Johnson declined chemotherapy treatment following his diagnosis last year, he "reluctantly" cancelled all tour dates in order to undergo April's surgery. According to GQ, the nine-hour operation saw the removal of the guitarist's "football-sized tumour, as well as his entire pancreas, his spleen, part of his stomach, parts of both his small and large intestines, and involved the removal and reconstruction of blood vessels relating to the liver". Immediately after the procedure, reps said doctors were "cautiously optimistic" about Johnson's prognosis.
"There is a small chance of dying," Johnson told GQ, hours before going under the knife. "But that's nothing. Because for over a year I have been living with a 100 per cent chance of dying."
In spite of his terminal diagnosis, Johnson spent the past year gigging and recording – travelling around the UK for a "farewell tour" and making the album Going Back Home with Who frontman Roger Daltrey. In an interview last month, Daltrey said that Johnson was "already bored" with the slow recovery from surgery.
"I know that Wilko's recovery process is probably going to be six months," Daltrey explained to Absolute Radio. "I said to him, 'Come on, write some more songs, let's think of something, sort the songs out for the next record.' ... I reckon two months in he'll at least have the strength to play, [and to] get that boredom and all that angst out on the guitar. So the studio could be easy for him and it might be a nice stepping-stone back to full recovery."
Released in March, Going Back Home debuted at No 3 on the UK albums chart.
Dr Feelgood - Roxette (Live) (2005 Remaster) - YouTube
