R&B singer Tank has revealed that he is going deaf.
In an emotional Instagram post, the Grammy-nominated artist shared that he is losing his hearing and, although the news is unsettling, he is not prepared to give up on his dreams. He also hopes that his story will encourage others.
"So I’m going through something right now and I want to use my situation to encourage your situation. I’m going completely deaf in my right ear and I’m kind of losing sound in my left," Tank, 45, said in a video shared to his Instagram account. "I’m dizzy, can’t walk a straight line. All of this out of nowhere."
Tank explained that he did not know how or why he had begun to lose his hearing, but he was seeing a doctor, going for MRIs, and taking medication for it. Although it may be easy to chuck his musical aspirations, Tank said it was not a reason to give up.
"It still hasn’t given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I’ve set out to be," he continued. "The goals are still the same: to be great, to be the greatest. And I want to say that to you, too. No matter what you’re going through, no matter where you find yourself. Whether your body is failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you: keep going, keep pushing."
Tank further noted that he would be documenting his progress on social media. The video received a stream of support from fans as well as his wife, Zena Foster, who joked, "I love you babe and don’t worry I can talk louder."
In a follow-up video, Tank shared with fans that he had an MRI but, "didn’t see anything cray" connected with his brain function, but he did have a deviated septum that he would be getting fixed. Hearing in his left ear, however, was worse.
"I tested lower today in terms of the things I can hear," he said. "Hopefully that starts to turn around quickly and I can get back out there and do what I do, man. I love what I do."
Tank also encouraged fans to reach out to him and to embrace life.
"No matter what you're going through, no matter where you find yourself," he said, "whether your body is failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you: keep going, keep pushing."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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