American Idol Season 14 Fan Favorite Jax Reveals Thyroid Cancer Battle

MICHAEL BECKER/FOX

American Idol alum Jackie “Jax” Cole is sharing a very difficult personal struggle a year after her time on the hit singing compeition series.

In a new interview with My Central Jersey and on social media ,Jax has opened up about her battle with thyroid cancer after being diagnosed back in April. The 20-year-old is well known from her run on American Idol after she came in third behind winner Nick Fradiani and runner-up Clark Beckham.

“It was very unexpected. When you’re 20-years-old, you have this Superman entitlement mentality, like you’re indestructible. And sometimes all it takes is God telling you it’s time to take a break for you to understand that you are most certainly not,” she explained.

In a lengthy Instagram post she said that it all began when she “was waking up in a very dark place everyday,” adding, “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 knew something was definitely up.”

Cole went on to explain that she went home and while grocery shopping with her parents she “felt a small lump on my throat” and her parents urged her to have it checked and within a few appointments she was diagnosed with Hashimoto disease and and found out there were 18 tumors on her thyroid.

That, however, is when things got even more scary. “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.”

Cole has now undergone surgery to have her thyroid and several lymph nodes removed and has been having radiation treatment in New York.

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

Telisa Carter

Telisa enjoys learning and writing about all things entertainment in the world of Hollywood. When she isn't catching up on her favorite TV shows, she likes to read, and obsess over all things football.