Earlier this month, Hatebreed guitarist Wayne Lozinak was forced to drop off of the band’s touring commitments after he was diagnosed with benign meningioma. It was deemed a major health risk, so back to the U.S. he went and the band continued on with live bassist Matt Bachand filling in.
According to a statement from the band, the health issue was discovered after their performance at Download Festival this past Saturday. Lozniak apparently began experiencing symptoms that people around him worried were the signs of a potential stroke when he sought medical attention while in Lilles, France. Once in their care, doctors discovered a benign meningioma. In layman’s terms, that’s a tumor that grows very slowly over time, often taking years before symptoms begin to emerge.
It’s likely been a difficult thing for Lozinak to deal with, not being able to play shows with his band during one of the more important times of the year — the European festival circuit. Having been subjected to a number of tests to see how things have been progressing, Lozinak’s gotten a clearer picture of how things are going to go moving forward. In a bid to let fans know what’s up, he recently posted on social media about his health situation.
Rather than paraphrase his words and potentially muddy them up with my take on shit, here’s Lozinak’s words straight from the man himself:
“Hello everyone. Just wanted to first say, I’m feeling fine, and I’ve been back in the U.S. since last week. Basically just had more tests, and another MRI here, and the results are the same as they were in France. Can never be too sure I guess.
“In case you missed it, I have a benign meningioma in my head that needs to be removed! I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon this upcoming week, and hopefully we can get the surgery scheduled soon! I don’t have all the details yet on what that entails, but I will be looking forward to getting back on the road and seeing you all, once everything is done and is safe to do so!
“Second, I REALLY want to thank everyone who has reached out to me, since we posted about it. It was overwhelming , the amount of people sending me well wishes, positivity and just the fact of being in your thoughts, was so appreciated!!! THANK YOU!!!
“….and if you feel like something may be off with your health, and you don’t feel like your ‘normal self’, it’s a good idea to get checked out! Might be nothing, but you never know!”
Here’s hoping that everything works out and Lozinak can get back on stage soon. Get better, man!
