Jackie Lee is turning his setback into a comeback.
The rising country star today (May 21) drops âLong Year,â a song he wrote about losing his mom to ovarian cancer in June 2016.
In the incredibly personal music video for the song, Jackie reveals he was diagnosed with testicular cancer just three months after he lost his mom. After he had surgery to remove his cancer that December, the Maryville, Tennessee, native went for a checkup in August and was diagnosed with cancer a second timeâthis time in his lymph system.
âI did my first round of chemo in October, and I even had shows through the first weekend in November,â Jackie tells CMT.com. âI was hopeful throughout the whole process, and obviously, nobody wants cancer. They were very hopeful from the beginning. Now my hair is coming back, which Iâm super stoked about. Iâm super thankful.â
The footage in the âLong Yearâ music video was shot during Jackieâs chemotherapy treatments, but he âcontemplated not letting anyone knowâ because he âdidnât want to be known as the guy who had cancer.â
âBut my producer Aaron Eshuis, said it best, âThis isnât your story, this is just a part of your story,ââ Jackie says. âMy hope with this video, whoever watches it, is that it encourages others to see that Iâm a regular person that got dealt some pretty crappy cards, and I found a way to overcome it and get through it. I want people to know they can, too.â
Jackie's cancer is now in remission. Watch the âLong Yearâ music video below.
Photo: Getty Images