Rae Spoon Diagnosed with Cervical Cancer

Photo: Dave Todon

BY Matt BobkinPublished Mar 28, 2020

Folk singer-songwriter Rae Spoon has been diagnosed with cervical cancer.

In a post on Medium shared earlier today, Spoon shared that they were diagnosed on March 17, just after ending a tour early due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and while they were in the middle of cancelling scheduled tour dates in Canada, the U.K. and Europe.

The blog post also details Spoon's struggles with C-PTSD, child abuse, their trans identity, alcoholism and receiving cancer treatment in the middle of a global pandemic.

"I have so much privilege to be able to access health care for my life threatening condition. However excruciating, much of it covered for me," said Spoon. "The economic safety nets of welfare and other services never gave me enough to live when I was on them. I avoided health care especially mental health care as much as I possibly could. I knew that eventually I wouldn't be able to."

On accessing health care as a trans person, Spoon wrote, "I have been forcing myself to get PAPs semi-regularly throughout my adult life. I always saw it as a mission impossible type of thing. A sort of revenge I could get by staying alive. I've had some horrific experiences. Gender variant people are a lot less likely to be denied access to health care. Many people are not comfortable accessing screening tests for cancer (even in environments that are operating under 'safer spaces' policies). Every aspect of marginalization contributes to risk exponentially."

Spoon's full statement is available to read on Medium. Their latest album, Mental Health, was released last summer by COAX Records.

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