Shane Koyczan is pictured taking a moment to write down his thoughts while on a walk on the west coast of Vancouver Island near Tofino.
Image Credit: Contributed/Tourism B.C.
July 10, 2023 - 6:00 PM
Renowned Canadian spoken-word poet Shane Koyczan is in hospital facing medical challenges, but it is unclear exactly what those are.
The popular Penticton performer said in a post to Facebook he’s “been dealing with an undiagnosed pain,” and was admitted to hospital for emergency for surgery Saturday, July 8.
In the post, Koyczan explains he’s being vague about what the medical problem is on purpose because he doesn’t want people “to flock to the internet and start looking for procedures or alternatives.”
“I assure you I’m receiving the best possible care,” he said. “Having said that it’s difficult not to imagine the worst coming to pass. Should that be the case I just wanted to say thank you to my friends. You helped me laugh when it felt like crying was all I could do. Thank you to my supporters.”
Koyczan is known for writing about bullying, cancer death and eating disorders and he published an artistically animated anti-bullying poem called “To This Day” on YouTube that went viral. He’s published several books and is a co-founder of Tons of Fun University, a spoken word trio out of Vancouver.
Koyczan performs spoken word shows in cities in Canada and the United States that deliver intense messages that focus largely on growing up, bullying and feeling insecure.
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He posted an update today, July 10, saying the surgery didn’t go well and he’ll be moving to a different hospital.
“I want to thank you all for your well wishes and beautiful energy. I’d like to reply to each one of you but it’s difficult when pain keeps me from focusing. I’ll update again when I can. Thank you all for thinking of me... it’s been the best medicine so far.”
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