‘American Idol’ Competitor, Jax Cole Secretly Battling Thyroid Cancer

The work, pressure, & travel in music is not always so forgiving on the mind and heart. It absolutely takes its toll on your body. Sometimes I think the universe is yelling at me to slow down and I just blatantly ignore it. I have always been obsessed with my job and craft, so stopping and breathing isn't easy for me. However, my health has to come first. I understand that now. Recently my family and I were given a serious wake up call... As I was recording and doing press out on the West Coast, I noticed that I was waking up in a very dark place everyday. Stress has always been a weight in my life, but over the course of a few weeks something felt different. I was losing my voice often, and struggling to keep my eyes open and my moods/energy consistent. My happiness was the last concern on my priority list and my folks new something was definitely up. So, long story short, I came back home to NY for a bit (we had just sold out my first homecoming show since tour at Webster Hall in Manhattan) to rehearse. While grocery shopping with my parents, I felt a small lump on my throat. We really didn't think much of it, as I mentioned I tend to ignore bumps in the road (pun intended) for the sake of speed and production. I was homeschooled so my lame immune system is always giving out on me. Either way, my mom and dad thought it would be a good idea to check it out just in case, so I went in for some ultrasounds and tests (via Urgent Care believe it or not). A few appointmets later, I was definitively diagnosed with Hashimoto disease. The doctors found 18 tumors on my Thyroid...Which would explain what I had been going through emotionally. I'm pretty convinced after all this that my Thyroid is more important than my actual brain. After that diagnosis, my Thyroid specialist wanted to double check and biopsy the tumors to make sure they were not cancerous. It is unlikely for Thyroid cancer to occur in younger people. I went into the hospital for a biopsy on the tumors, performed my show at Webster Hall, and got a call from the hospital a few days later. It turned out that 12 out of the 18 tumors tested positive for cancer...Continue reading at Crowdrise.com/JAXPACK❤️

A photo posted by JAX (@jax) on Aug 8, 2016 at 8:11am PDT

Jax Cole may lay everything out on stage while she is singing, but she isn't always telling her whole story. Over the last few months, the third place American Idol singer has been secretly battling thyroid cancer, according to PEOPLE.

In a previous interview, Jax revealed that she was diagnosed with cancer in April, shortly after performing at a show. She said she was grocery shopping with her parents, when she felt a strange lump in her throat. Doctors told her that she had 18 tumors growing on her thyroid. After testing, 12 of them were positive for cancer.

"It was very unexpected," Jax said. "When you're 20 years old, you have this 'Superman' entitlement mentality. Like you're indestructible. Thank God I have people in my life that were three to help me deal with this when my reality finally clicked for me. I'm a tough guy, but I don't think I have ever experienced anything scarier."

Jax has since had her thyroid removed and is undergoing radiation treatment. She is currently spending her summer at home resting, but is still planning on competing in the 2016 TCS NYC Marathon in November to raise money for Tuesday's Children – a charity that supports youths and families affected by terrorism and traumatic loss.

"The work, pressure, & travel in music is not always so forgiving on the mind and heart. It absolutely takes its toll on your body," Jax said in a lengthy caption on an Instagram photo she recently posted. "Sometimes I think the universe is yelling at me to slow down and I just blatantly ignore it."