Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant is grateful for fans’ prayers and support after his youngest daughter, Taylor, was hospitalized last week.
On Sunday, Van Zant shared an update video about her condition, thanking everyone for their prayers and support.
He explained that Taylor was diagnosed with a cavernomas, or cerebral cavernous malformation, which are “groups of tightly packed, irregular small blood vessels with thin walls,” per the Mayo Clinic.
They can cause blood to leak in the brain or spinal cord and look like “a cluster of grapes,” according to Van Zant’s experience.
“Due to your prayer and the will of God, she is at our house now and resting,” he said.
He added in the caption, “I thank everyone so much for your concerns and sweet words since the news of my daughter came out. I am also very grateful for the fans understanding in the cancelling of shows so I could be with her. The past week has been a whirlwind of emotions but reading all your hopeful messages and comments really helped lift my spirits.”
Van Zant also asked for continued prayers for the band’s bus driver, Brad Gibson, who was in the ICU after a scooter accident, as well as people suffering the effects of Hurricane Helene.
“I know so many of you are now dealing with damages, devastation and even losses after this storm. 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,” he wrote.
Lynyrd Skynyrd canceled a performance in Alaska on Sept. 24, announcing in their statement on social media that Van Zant’s daughter “must undergo emergency surgery.”
They went on to announce the additional cancellation of their September dates in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
Van Zant announced that Taylor was being treated for a mass found on her brain in the days after the band announced the cancellations.
After having a “numbing feeling on her right side,” Van Zant said she went to the hospital where she got a CAT scan, and doctors discovered “a mass on her brain” causing bleeding, leading to the numbness.
Van Zant said Taylor has a “great” neurology team and doctors. While they don’t believe it’s cancer, he added that “we’re not out of the woods yet” as she undergoes additional testing.
“We’re in a lot better position than we thought we were in the beginning, so keep saying the prayers for Taylor. I can’t thank you enough. It means everything to me and my family.”
