Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford battling prostate cancer
'The suffering part of it, the physical suffering after the surgery, I've never felt pain quite like that'
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Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford has been privately battling prostate cancer.
The 54-year-old musician revealed his health battle to Spin magazine on Monday two months after his band was forced to cancel their North American tour due to its lead singer Zack de la Rocha, 52, tearing his Achilles tendon.
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“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s—,” Commerford said. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer.
“I’ve been someone that’s taken a lot of pride in being in shape and taking care of myself. But it’s something where either you’re lucky or not.”
The bassist added the disease has made him paranoid about every change and feeling in his body, leaving him fearing everything could be the result of cancer.
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Also referring to how he has come through severe sports injuries, he said: “Whatever it is, it makes me wonder if it’s happening because I have cancer. And prostate cancer is a very, very, very tough one because it’s connected to your sexuality.
“It’s hard to disconnect from that and when you’re forced into that situation, it’s a brutal psychological journey.
“The suffering part of it, the physical suffering after the surgery, I’ve never felt pain quite like that. I have metal plates in my head and cadaver parts in my body.
“I’ve done a lot of damage through sports and mountain biking and this sort of thing and I’ve always felt like I had a really high tolerance for pain, and that s— brought me to my knees.
“After the pain went away, I still haven’t really been able to get up, even though I’m working out and doing s—, but psychologically, the damage is severe. It’s very hard for me to not break down and get emotional.”
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