A Health Update
Dallas country star Joshua Ray Walker gets hit by new round of cancer
Joshua Ray Walker
Dallas country star Joshua Ray Walker is facing another round of cancer, and has launched a GoFundMe to help fight the battle.
Walker, who has been compared to Texas greats like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Billy Joe Shaver, had been undergoing chemo to counteract Stage III colon cancer, and made an unfortunate discovery when doctors discovered the cancer had spread.
Walker posted the news on his Facebook page, stating that he had "some good and bad news to deliver."
"The good news is that I’ve finished chemo treatment!" he said. "It was extremely tough, and I want to thank y’all so much for supporting me through this experience. My body handled it reasonably well, and I’ve begun to rebuild my strength and immune system! The bad news is that upon the completion of tests to check on the status of my cancer post treatment, multiple nodes of varying sizes were found in both my lungs."
The discovery came as a surprise.
"Before I started chemo, I was told I had a 90 percent chance of having clear tests post treatment. So to find completely new growth in a new organ was something for which I was not prepared," he said. "This unfortunately means my cancer will likely be restaged to stage 4. I will get a lung biopsy, and start radiation soon."
Walker was doing a monthly show at the Kessler, the music venue in Oak Cliff, both for the income and to keep his spirits up. But facing this new development, he's launched a GoFundMe — with a goal of $300,000.
"When times are hard my instinct is to figure out how to survive financially," Walker said. "I’m launching a GoFundMe that will allow me to focus exclusively on my health and relationships during this precious time. I thank everyone so much in advance for their continued love and support. Love y’all so much."
He said he was choosing not to reveal all of the details about his prognosis.
"I wish I had more information to share but I’m still waiting to meet with a radiology oncologist following my biopsy surgery," he said. "I will keep y’all as updated as possible, and I will continue to fight my hardest. The odds have definitely shifted, but I’m not going to publish them here. It seems defeatist, and unnecessary. I’ll let you know what they were after I beat them. I’ve always lived life to the fullest and I will continue to do so."
