Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant has issued an update on the health of his daughter, Taylor, who was rushed to the emergency room last week after experiencing numbness on the right side of her body.
“It is a mass on her brain,” the singer said, noting that a few of the blood vessels “erupted and exploded,” causing bleeding in her head.
According to Mount Sinai, a cavernoma, or cavernous hemangioma, can either be congenital or form later in life. Although some people are genetically predisposed to cavernous malformations, which can grow to be several inches wide, most cases occur randomly. In addition to limb weakness and bleeding in the brain, symptoms may include headaches, seizures, and vision problems.
“Right now, they’re telling us [it’s not cancer], and that’s a great, great thing in Jesus’s hands, and by you praying and helping us, he’s hearing our prayers for Taylor,” Van Zant said.
The musician—whose daughter Linsday died in 2018 at the age of 35 after battling cancer—said the entire ordeal has been a “very scary time” for his family, including his wife, Lisa, and their two other daughters, Kristen and Harmony.
“But due to your prayer and the will of God, she is at our house now and resting,” he said, adding that his daughter must make several lifestyle changes, such as dietary adjustments, as instructed by her physician.
‘Keep Praying’
Van Zant joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987 when the Southern rock group, which was founded in Jacksonville, Florida, reunited following the death of his older brother, Ronnie Van Zant, 10 years earlier.Ronnie Van Zant, who served as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s founding member and original lead singer, was killed in a plane crash on Oct. 20, 1977, along with the group’s guitarist and backing vocalist, Steve Gaines, and Gaines’s sister, Cassie, who also performed backing vocals for the band.
Early last week, the group announced on social media that it was canceling several of its upcoming concerts this month so that Van Zant could be with his daughter as she underwent emergency surgery.
In turn, Van Zant said he was grateful to his fans for their understanding.
“The past week has been a whirlwind of emotions but reading all your hopeful messages and comments really helped lift my spirits,” he wrote. “Keep praying for Taylor during this time of transition.”
Van Zant also urged his fans and followers to pray for his bus driver, Brad Gibson, who was admitted into the intensive care unit last week after being involved in an unrelated scooter accident.
“Brad, who has been our bus driver, is still in need of serious prayer,” the singer wrote in his caption. “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.”
Van Zant said Gibson is currently breathing on his own but remains connected to a ventilator.
“So keep praying for him and his family,” he said.
The singer concluded his message by acknowledging the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, claiming the lives of more than 100 people as it impacted states along the eastern coast, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
“I know so many of you are now dealing with damages, devastation and even losses after this storm,” Van Zant wrote. “I know for those affected, things may not return precisely as they were, but they will begin to settle down. Let’s all pray for those affected.”
