Amidst the many names that one encounters in one season of American Idol, I'm sure some of them are probably forgotten, especially as the competition moves forward.  So, do you remember Luke Menard?  You know, that guy who first appeared in the Omaha auditions last season and eventually cracked the final 24 before getting the boot on the same night that Danny Noriega was eliminated?  You probably heard that almost right after he got the boot from Idol, he was diagnosed with cancer, and has since begun fighting it with multiple treatments.

Of course, cancer is devastating news, especially for Menard, who just turned 30 at the beginning of the month.  To be specific, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects one's lymph nodes.  Thankfully, that condition is one of the easiest to cure, especially when detected early.  And Menard—who has since continued performing with his a capella group Chapter 6—is happy to announce that he has been cured of the disease.

“I'm cancer free according to my last test scan that I had,” he enthused in an interview with Access Hollywood.  “It's been exciting to get that news … We were always praying for this news, to be cancer free.  When you're going through chemo, it's kind of a one-day at a time thing.  You don't know how you're gonna feel when you wake up in the morning and sometimes you're kind of sick and you're throwing up.  It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The news serves as a little cherry on top of what could be described as a whirlwind year for Menard.  He first auditioned for Idol in season 6, but didn't get past the first round.  On his second try, he stormed through the auditions, making a mark in the Hollywood round and later being one of the top performers in the semi-finals, although it wasn't enough.  Then came the cancer diagnosis, news which didn't bring him down, although there was his share of hard times.  He's thankful to have met many friends during his short Idol run; they came to him upon hearing of his ordeal.

“All the producers from American Idol, 19 Entertainment … David Cook, who won [the show] … he has been extremely helpful, even financially with medical bills,” Menard said.  “19 Entertainment has helped out with medical bills, so it's been way more than expected.”  When he arrived back home to Crawfordsville, Indiana, more friends came to his aid, especially when his medical insurance went short; they eventually set up numerous fundraisers to help him fight his battle.

Throughout those times, he took refuge in one thing he's been passionate about: music.  What else could it be?  “It's kind of been my therapy throughout the last seven months, being diagnosed and then going through chemo and going through radiation,” he said of his tours with his group, as well as his song writing, for himself and for many Christian music songwriters.  “It's kind of been my outlet to get away from the hospitals, to get away from the doctors and just kind of get away from everything.”

Now that the New Year is almost upon us, he hopes to continue with his musical aspirations, both as a group performer and a solo artist.  Indeed, some good things still happen, even if you never exactly reached your goal, and even if your name's all but forgotten as time goes by.  Whether the next season of American Idol would have such stories, of course, remains to be seen.


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Access Hollywood
(Image courtesy of Fox)