Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett Prepared for Death, Recorded Messages for Children

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett revealed that he prepared to die during his battle with throat cancer, recording messages for his children in case his tongue had to be surgically removed. The treatments for his stage 4 HPV-related throat cancer, diagnosed in 2015, initially failed, leading doctors to consider a partial or full tongue removal.

Rockett's weight dropped to 161 pounds during his arduous treatment. "I was recording pieces of information for my kids so they could watch it, because the next step was to cut my tongue out if they had to," Rockett told Fox News Digital. "And I wanted them to know what I sounded like and my advice to them growing up, and I wanted them to hear it from me."

He described the possibility of losing his tongue as a sign that he might not survive much longer, estimating he would have required a feeding tube and likely would not have lived much beyond a year or two.

The health crisis began in 2015 when Rockett and his family developed persistent sore throats. While others recovered after antibiotic treatment, Rockett's symptoms lingered. A subsequent examination revealed a suspicious growth, leading to a biopsy and his cancer diagnosis.

His memoir, "Ghost Notes: My Life in Poison," details the progression of the disease, which affected the base of his tongue. Rockett experienced pain when swallowing, a swollen lymph node, and a significant weight loss as he could only consume liquids. "At its worst, I struggle to swallow even a gulp of water," he wrote in his memoir, recounting a moment when his son watched him cry while trying to eat soup.

After three months of intensive radiation and chemotherapy that proved ineffective, Rockett enrolled in an experimental drug trial at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. He described the gamble with the experimental treatment, which involved a combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and epacadostat, as high-stakes. "It’s one of those things where, if it works, it’s amazing. If it doesn’t, you kind of go, 'Wow, maybe I wasted my time.' So I had to roll the dice. And I did. And when I rolled it, thankfully, it came out in my favor."

By July 2016, Rockett was declared cancer-free. He recalled the shock of his first PET scan, which showed 90 percent of the cancer was gone, with the second scan revealing it was completely eradicated.

However, his health challenges were not over. Approximately eight months into his recovery, Rockett was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a type of blood cancer, which he learned was linked to the Philadelphia chromosome. "I just went through one cancer, and now I was facing another one," he stated.

His hematologist assured him that CML was a treatable form of leukemia. Rockett began a new medication regimen, which he continues to take, managing its side effects. He has been in remission from CML for several years.

Now cancer-free for a decade, Rockett continues to perform with his band, Rockett Mafia. He acknowledges some lasting effects from his treatments, such as dry mouth due to radiation damage to his salivary glands and occasional voice roughness. He expressed gratitude for the time he has regained, emphasizing his motivation to fight for his children's sake.

"There must be a reason why I’m still here, I think to this day," Rockett said. "A big part of it was fighting for my kids. There’s no question that was a big chunk of my fight."