Jo Dee Messina Diagnosed With Cancer
Jo Dee Messina has been diagnosed with cancer. The "Heads Carolina, Tails California" singer's team revealed the news on her Facebook page on Wednesday morning (Sept. 6). She'll begin treatment this fall.
Messina didn't share any details about the location or severity of her cancer, but the tone of a long letter posted to Facebook indicates that it has been difficult:
On her lowest of low days, she has been able to see God's hand at work and feel His love as she continues her walk. It is because of our Father's love that she has been able to find the beauty in the days that could have brought her the most fear, gratitude in moments that most would call unfair, and companionship during times she might feel the loneliest.
The 47-year-old Messina's cancer treatment plan is still unknown. All tour dates after Oct. 7 will be postponed, and she'll take a semester off from the King's University. She has continued to work on new music through the diagnosis, however. Producer Seth Mosley recalls a writing session for a song called "Here" that was particularly moving.
"To see Jo Dee singing 'there's no pain, there's no fear, here' through the cancer and the chaos that she is walking through," he says, "God is going to use her and her story to intercept people in their pain and remind them that He is near."
Messina's career started in the mid-90s and included No. 1 hits like "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright," plus a duet with Tim McGraw called "Bring on the Rain" and her final hit, "My Give a Damn's Busted" from 2005. Her last studio album was Me, released in 2014.
Messina and her husband Chris have two sons, 8-year-old Noah and 5-year-old Jonah.
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