Singer Tank Shares That He is Going Deaf

For members of the disability community who develop their disability, many may deal with trying to keep on pushing through with their life as they usually would, while also struggling with their changing life.

In an Instagram video from last Wednesday, singer Tank shared that he is going deaf in his right ear and is losing hearing in his left ear. This happened following an extreme case of vertigo. You can watch Tank’s full video here:

 

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A post shared by Tank (@therealtank)

While Tank only shared that he was diagnosed with extreme vertigo, vertigo and hearing loss are both signs of Ménière’s disease, which the singer Jessie J was diagnosed with last year.  The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders states that Ménière’s disease is diagnosed on a person’s medical history and the following symptoms:

• Two or more episodes of vertigo lasting at least 20 minutes each
• Tinnitus
• Temporary hearing loss
• A feeling of fullness in the ear

In his Instagram video, Tank also shared what his daily reality is like right now. “I’m dizzy, can’t walk a straight line. All of this out of nowhere. Don’t know how or why,” he said. “I’m seeing a doctor, got MRIs going on and medication… all of that.”

Despite these new challenges, Tank said that his symptoms “hasn’t given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I’ve set out to be.” “No matter what you’re going through, no matter where you find yourself,” he continued. “Whether your body is failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you– keep going, keep pushing.”

While not giving up is important, acceptance of how disability or chronic illness affects one’s life may be useful. In an article for The Mighty, Jo Moss wrote about how acceptance of her chronic illness makes her day-to-day life easier:

Over time I have accepted my limitations. I know by being realistic about my abilities right now, and by respecting the limitations of my body and mind, I can concentrate on having a better quality of life today rather than battling unrealistic expectations of a cure for tomorrow. Rather than constantly searching for ways to “cure” myself, I concentrate on being as well as possible for as long as possible.

At the end of his video, Tank encouraged people to continue to check in with each other, as it is impossible to know when health challenges may throw curveballs at each other’s lives.