Shemekia Copeland's Treatment for Kidney Cancer
- Blues powerhouse performer Shemekia Copeland was diagnosed with kidney cancer this summer and had a tumor removed; she also contracted Covid and lost her sense of smell, despite being triple vaccinated.
- Symptoms of kidney cancer can include blood in the urine, lower back pain, a mass on the lower back, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
- Many people coping with cancer, including artists, find that art has a therapeutic effect.
"Just when they were starting to open up gigs in the summer, I found out I had kidney cancer. They had to remove a tumor from my kidney. So that wasn't pleasant," she tells the paper.
Amid her cancer battle, Copeland says she was able to work at some points during the summer. “I eventually went to work, I did some gigs over the summer, some festivals. Then after that I was on a pretty good roll. I was about to go on a blues cruise (last month), but then I found out I had COVID and I was triple vaccinated,” she says.
Copeland lost her sense of smell and sense of taste for a couple of weeks, but she then made a full recovery. “I’m ready to kick 2021 to the curb, just like I was ready to kick 2020 to the curb,” says the singer.
This weekend, the indomitable Copeland headlines an event at First Congo Church. She’s also beginning work on a new project, an album trilogy that focuses on racial struggles in America.
Understanding Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancers can develop in adults or children. There are two main types of kidney cancer that occur in adults: Renal cell cancer and transitional cell cancer. Copeland’s type of cancer, chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, forms in the cells lining the small tubules in the kidney.
This year, approximately 76,080 new cases of kidney cancer will be diagnosed. Men have nearly double the risk of kidney cancer compared to women, with approximately 50,000 kidney cancer cases occurring in men, and over 27,000 occurring in women.
Kidney cancer can be treated with surgery, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these different treatments. It can be assumed that Copeland had surgery to remove her tumor, but we don’t know as to whether it was an open surgery or a robotically assisted surgery.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), signs and symptoms of kidney cancer can include the following:
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Low back pain on one side (not caused by injury)
- A mass (lump) on the side or lower back
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss not caused by dieting
- Fever that is not caused by an infection and that doesn't go away
- Anemia (low red blood cell counts)
Finding Comfort in Art Through Cancer
As an artist and a performer, Copeland understands well the power of art to move and heal. Concurrently, alongside treatment, some people may turn to various artistic outlets singing, dancing, painting, crafting to help them cope with their cancer journey. Some people also use art to handle feelings of grief after suffering a cancer-related loss. Whenever and however you turn to art, its healing benefits in terms of mental health are well-documented and substantiated.
Very Well Mind reports that a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association says that less than an hour of creative activity can reduce stress and have a positive effect on your mental health. And that’s true regardless of artistic experience or talent, the author notes.
Treating Depression After a Cancer Diagnosis
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