Black Eyed Peas Member Taboo Reveals He Battled Cancer

Black Eyed Peas member Taboo has revealed his secret battle with cancer, PEOPLE reports.

Diagnosed in June 2014 with stage 2 testicular cancer, the musician went through 12 weeks of “intense, aggressive” chemotherapy. He revealed that his bandmates and family were all in shock over the diagnosis, but that he didn’t have time to waste.

“I was racing against the clock,” said Taboo, born Jaime Luis Gomez.

“There were times that I wanted to give up, but I became inspired by sports figures who have gone through similar battles,” the musician added. “I began channeling my energy into the thing that keeps me alive and spirited: music. I wanted to share my story and inspire others like those who had inspired me.”

Taboo decided to keep his diagnosis quiet until he could show his fans that he’d “made it out the other side stronger,” but he used his battle as musical inspiration.

“I had chemo brain and kept fading in and out, but my team kept me focused because they knew how important it was,” he said.

The musician has now been cancer-free for two years, and has partnered with the American Cancer Society for a new campaign called The Fight to inspire others battling cancer.

“I’ve been cancer-free for over two years, but the real battle isn’t over,” he said. “We’ve just released my new song ‘Fight’ to help people face their own challenges. There are millions going through things like this, and I want to remind them that we don’t curl up into a ball when we have a trial or tribulation. We get up and fight.”

This article first appeared on Womanista.com