Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant is sharing more about his daughter's diagnosis after she was hospitalized for a "sudden emergency illness" that prompted the band to cancel several shows. On September 25, 2024, Lynyrd Skynyrd announced that several concerts in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico had been canceled as Van Zant wanted to be with his daughter as "they continue testing, diagnosis, and treatment."
On September 26, the Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist shared more details about what prompted his daughter to seek medical treatment.
Van Zant, 64, explained that his daughter began experiencing a "numbing feeling on her right side." After doing a CT scan, doctors discovered that his daughter Taylor had a mass on her brain, he revealed in an Instagram video.
"Some of it was bleeding. That was causing the numbing part," Van Zant said in the video. "Saying this, we've had her with a great neurology team, a group of doctors and they don't think its the C-word, so that's a good thing."
At that time, Van Zant still asked fans to "say a prayer for my daughter."
"They’re still doing a lot of testing and we’re not out of the woods yet but we’re in a lot better position than we thought we were in the beginning," he said at the time.
In a follow-up video, Van Zant spoke about how it's been a "very, very scary time" for his family as they've been waiting to learn more about Taylor's diagnosis.
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In the video, he shared that his daughter has been diagnosed with a cavernomas, or cerebral cavernous malformation. Per Mayo Clinic, "Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are groups of tightly packed, irregular small blood vessels with thin walls."
Van Zant described them as looking like "a cluster of grapes." According to Mayo Clinic, CCMs might look like "small mulberries" and "can cause blood to leak in the brain or spinal cord." In many cases, the cause of CCMs is unknown, though the condition can be genetic.
In the caption, Van Zant thanked his fans for their support as his family navigates this challenging time. "I know every week I ask for prayers for others but needing them for my own family is a feeling I’m new to. I thank everyone so much for your concerns and sweet words since the news of my daughter came out."
"I am also very grateful for the fans understanding in the cancelling of shows so I could be with her," he continued. "The past week has been a whirlwind of emotions but reading all your hopeful messages and comments really helped lift my spirits. Keep praying for Taylor during this time of transition."
In the update, Van Zant shared that his daughter is "at our house now and resting."
After opening up about his daughter's health concerns, Van Zant also shared that the band's bus driver, Brad Gibson, is in the ICU because of a scooter accident.
"Brad, who has been our bus driver, is still in need of serious prayer," Van Zant wrote. "He wrecked on his scooter in the beginning of the week and has been in the ICU since. He’s a great young man, he has a family and a new baby so we need him to be healed up and doing better."
