Jackie Lee Reveals Testicular Cancer Battle in Video For 'Long Year'

Jackie Lee is opening up about his recent battle with testicular cancer in his latest single, [...]

Jackie Lee is opening up about his recent battle with testicular cancer in his latest single, "Long Year," and accompanying video. The video shows a first-hand account of the physical struggles he faced, which began shortly after the death of his mother in 2016 to ovarian cancer.

"Today is October 22, 2017, and I have something I'd like to share with you guys," Lee says in the video. He then launches into the song, which says, "And if time's the only thing that's going to heal this pain / Then why's God stretching seconds into minutes into days / Well I know you'd have a story and answer for me / If you were still here / But you're not here/ But it's been a long year."

During the video, Lee chronicles his cancer battle, including showing his hair loss from chemo and his various hospital visits.

"I hope that people know it's coming from a real place, real emotion," Lee tells PEOPLE.

Real place, indeed. Lee recalls the events that ultimately led to him writing one of the most emotional – and honest – songs he's ever written.

"In September of 2016, I was flying up to meet with Florida Georga Line in Cleveland, and I was going to write with them all weekend," recalls Lee to Billboard. "When I got there, I just remember feeling off. I can't even say that I had pain, I just felt different. I hadn't been to the doctor since I was a teenager – I come from a culture of like, 'Rub some dirt on it,' you know?

"I ended up going to a doctor in Nashville," he continues. "Every time I went to see him, things got a little more serious. The day before Thanksgiving of that year, I was in New York City and got a call from him. He said, 'I'd like to do surgery on December 15. We don't know that it's cancer, but we also don't know that it's not, and we want to be safe.'"

Lee had surgery, which determined he had Stage 2 testicular cancer, which appeared to have, thankfully, not spread anywhere else in his body. But after the highs and lows of 2017, from performing all over the country, to leaving his record label, Broken Bow, and ending a long relationship with Maddie & Tae singer Taylor Dye, Lee received even more devastating news.

"One day in August, I went in for a routine check-up — every three months I would do a CAT scan and some blood work," Lee recounts. "The CAT scan showed that there was something going on around my hip, so I did a PET scan. The PET scan came back positive, so then I did a biopsy. The biopsy showed that the cancer had come back.

"I was devastated," admits Lee. "But my mom didn't raise no wimp, and I wasn't about to start now. You just put your blinders on and take it one day at a time, because if you look at it from a distance, it does look insurmountable."

Lee was once again declared cancer-free in January, and is back to performing, sharing "Long Year" as many places as he can, where he finds purpose in all he has endured.

"It was a struggle for me: I go through all of this, and then what? I go back to playing country shows on the weekend? Is that why I moved here?" he says. "I just couldn't find anything that filled my soul enough to matter. And that's why I'm thankful for 'Long Year,' because I do feel like this song could encourage somebody going through a really crappy time in their life. You can make it. Just keep your head up, don't stop."

Download "Long Year" on iTunes.

Photo Credit: YouTube

0comments