Breaking Benjamin drummer Shaun Foist has been forced to quit his band’s tour due to a rare health condition.
The artist disclosed that he has been contending with Hashimoto’s disease for almost ten years, which he cited as the reason for not participating in the band’s upcoming autumn tour across the United States.
He said he was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition eight years ago and the symptoms have made drumming on tour ‘nearly impossible.’
In an effort to ‘heal’ and prepare for an eventual return to drumming, he said he would not be performing alongside his bandmates and will be focusing on his health.
For the band’s first live show on their tour, a replacement — Asking Alexandria drummer James Cassells — was announced, and he will be joining them in future shows going forward.
On Friday, Foist took to the band’s official Instagram and shared a statement explaining to his ‘friends, family and most importantly, the fans’ why he quit the tour to focus on rest.
Breaking Benjamin drummer Shaun Foist has been forced to quit his band’s tour due to a rare health condition; pictured August 2015 in Fort Lauderdale
The musician revealed he has been battling Hashimoto’s disease for nearly a decade as he explained why he would no longer be joining the band on their fall tour across the U.S.; pictured September 2022 in Auburn, Washington
Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, which produces hormones that help regulate many functions in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The illness is caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissues and the eventual decline in thyroid hormone production can result in a wide-ranging number of symptoms including but not limited to: fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness and joint pain among many others.
He wrote: ‘I’ve battled Hashimoto’s disease since 2017, facing fatigue, leg weakness, stiffness, weight changes, and overall drum playing control issues.
He explained that while they were on tour in the spring, he started experiencing symptoms that made drumming difficult for him.
‘During the Awaken the Fallen Tour, I was experiencing extreme leg fatigue and complications, making drumming nearly impossible,’ he said.
‘We ran tests on my back that came out fine thankfully, but tests confirmed Hashimoto’s had flared, pushing my thyroid into “hyper” mode, causing weakness and weight loss,’ he added.
‘After speaking with my family and doctors, I’ve decided to step away from the road at this time to focus on healing,’ Foist continued.
He then asked their fans to continue cheering on his bandmates and insisted he would not give up on drumming.
‘Please continue supporting the band and enjoying the shows. I care deeply about our legacy, and I don’t want my health to affect performances. Thank you for the years of love and support. I will play drums again.’
In the caption, the rest of the band stated: ‘We are thankful to @ShaunWFoist for all the years of playing with us and being a part of the Breaking Benjamin family. The fall tour starts tomorrow and we are welcoming our friend @cassells to the stage.’
James Cassells also shared a statement to his Instagram account as he shared his gratitude to perform with fellow rock stars.
On Friday, Foist took to the band’s official Instagram and shared a statement explaining to his ‘friends, family and most importantly, the fans’ why he quit the tour to focus on rest
He said he was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition eight years ago and the symptoms have made drumming on tour ‘nearly impossible’; pictured January 2017
In an effort to ‘heal’ and prepare for an eventual return to drumming, he said he would not be performing alongside his bandmates and will be focusing on his health; pictured October 2022
‘Still wrapping my head around this… I’m beyond stoked to announce that I’ll be hitting the road with Breaking Benjamin this fall and moving forward,’ he wrote on Instagram.
‘They’ve shaped so much of who I am as a musician, and their impact on rock music speaks for itself.’
Cassells added: ‘It’s a huge honor to be part of this, and I can’t wait to get out there and play for you all. Let’s go.’
The current lineup includes frontman Benjamin Burnley, guitarist Keith Wallen, bassist Aaron Bruch and lead guitarist Jasen Rauch.
The rock band kicked off their co-headline tour with Three Days Grace over the weekend in Ridgedale, Missouri and at the rock music festival, Rocklahoma, in Oklahoma.
They will continue performing in cities across America before wrapping their fall tour on October 12 by returning to Oklahoma and closing out their tour in the city of Durant.
