Daryl Braithwaite Gives Health Update, Urges Lung Cancer Scans
Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite, 77, said he can walk in the park for only an hour a day after retiring from live shows with a breathing condition. He is urging Australians aged 50 to 70 to ask their GP for a free lung cancer screening.
Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite, 77, said on Saturday that he is working to recover from a breathing condition that ended his live career almost six months ago, as he urges older Australians to get checked for lung cancer. The singer gives his health update while advocating for the National Lung Cancer Association.
Braithwaite spoke to Sunrise. He rose to fame as lead vocalist of the 1970s rock band Sherbet, then built a solo career with hits including The Horses and As The Days Go By. He is an ARIA hall of fame inductee.
Life after retirement
He said the condition stopped him from singing about five months ago. He is doing exercises and treatment in the hope of singing again, though he is not optimistic.
"I doubt that that will come off, but touchwood that I'm going alright," he said.
For now, he can only go to the park for an hour a day. He said he has been improving thanks to treatment and breathing exercises.
He still goes to concerts. Watching, he said, makes him miss the stage.
"I look at it and I go, 'oh, how good would it be to be up on stage?' but, you know, a certain thing comes along and taps you on the shoulder."
The screening message
Braithwaite is encouraging Australians aged 50 to 70 to ask their local GP for a free lung cancer screening. He quit smoking about 25 years ago and said it was hard for his generation, who grew up when smoking was part of everyday life. He also toured and played in many smoky venues.
"I have a breathing problem and I thought, if I can get some people to come and get a scan, just as a preventative, I thought that's right up my alley," he said.
He told people of his age not to brush it off. "It's free, they scan for lung cancer, and they'll pick it up before it starts to develop," he said.
Braithwaite said he is proud of his career, from Sherbet to the solo years. He hopes Australians keep listening to his music, and that they take his advice and "go and get a lung scan".
