For the first time, former ENHYPEN member EVAN has addressed his battle with childhood cancer.
Born Lee Hee-seung, the now 24-year-old musician was in fourth grade when he was told he had malignant lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that happens when certain white blood cells (lymphocytes) become abnormal and start multiplying uncontrollably, forming tumors in lymph nodes or other organs.
In an interview with Weverse Magazine, the Koreran singer said “I kept coughing, and at first I just figured it was a cold and didn’t think much of it, but then when I was playing soccer, I took four or five steps and suddenly couldn’t breathe.” “I found out at the hospital later that it was cancer.”
About the challenging treatment he had to undergo EVAN said “But when I saw how my mom took care of me nonstop, I wanted to put on a brave face for her.”
During his time in the hospital, the youngster would perform in talent shows with his fellow patients and dream about becoming a pop star, adding “I dreamed of being a singer ever since I was six, but to be honest, back then I didn’t really have the mental bandwidth to even think about that.”
The K-pop star – who went by the name Heeseung in the boy band – recalled the devastation of watching the friends he’d made in hospital pass away from the disease, stating “I’d watch my friends pass away and kept thinking, ‘I want to live so badly, I want to go home.’ “Thankfully I made it through treatment and got to go on with my life.”
“I had a lot less energy, and since my hair was still growing back from chemo, I got teased a lot for it,” said EVAN about being bullied over his chemo hair when returning to school.
On why he chose not to discuss his cancer battle until now, he admitted: “I haven’t thought about that in a long time. It hurts to bring it back up.”
Although he hadn’t addressed it directly, EVAN did so in song form, explaining “When I sing on Death of Me, the lead single, that this ‘ain’t the death of me,’ it comes from a place of having actually gone right up to the edge of death myself.” “No matter how far down I went, I felt over and over that it was never really the end.”
In order to pursue a solo career, EVAN quit ENHYPEN in March, and addressing fans directly in a letter posted on Weverse, he reflected on his time with the group and explaining that he had been developing personal material for some time, but held back to avoid overshadowing ENHYPEN’s activities.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: 티비텐