One day after Tom Parker opened up about being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, his former bandmate from The Wanted, Max George, took to Instagram to send him love. Max shared various photos of himself and Tom together from their time in the band, and wrote a lengthy message to show him support. “For those who don’t know Tom, I will say this — there has nothing that he has ever given up on and [he] has never taken no for an answer,” Max wrote.”
He continued, “His heart is the size of a lion’s and it is his drive and passion that has always led The Wanted and made sure we are looked after the right way. Speaking as a brother, a friend and a band mate, I know that you will conquer this as you have every other challenge you have ever faced. We are all on this journey together and I can’t wait to get back on the stage with you and the boys and have a proper celebration when you’re better. You got this man.”
Tom suffered two seizures over the summer, which is what led him to visit doctors and ultimately get his terrifying diagnosis. The 32-year-old is a father, who married his wife, Kelsey Hardwick, in 2018. They had their first daughter in 2019, and are currently expecting a son, who is due later this year.
When Tom shared his brain tumor diagnosis on Oct. 12, he revealed that he was already “undergoing treatment” to fight the disease, which was already in stage IV. However, in an interview with Britain’s OK! magazine, he admitted that doctors told him he was in the “worst case scenario” and that his condition was “fatal.” Still, he vowed to fight for himself and his family.
“We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way,” Tom vowed. “We don’t want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options. It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support, we are going to beat this.”
Meanwhile, Tom’s other band members from The Wanted (the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2014), also posted touching messages. Nathan Sykes wrote, “There are simply no words. It’s just the most unbelievable cruel situation. However, Tom will attack this with the same vigor that he has with everything he has ever set his mind to. Both Tom and Kelsey’s strength and bravery is incredible, which was shown in the interview that was published today. I love and support both Tom and Kels and I’ll be right behind them every step of the way in their fight.”
Siva Kaneswaran also took to Instagram to write, “Tom and Kelsey, we are with you all the way. I know one thing. This rockstar has always given 150% with everything he does and that’s how I know we are gonna get through this.” Jay McGuiness has not posted anything on social media since the news broke.
