Jack’s Mannequin performed on Feb. 17, at the House of Blues in Dallas. However, just five years ago, lead singer Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia.

Many have heard the stories of celebrity health problems of all varieties. McMahon was one that encountered health problems while fans of his waited to see what the outcome would be.

McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia in 2005 three months before the release of his first solo album with band Jack’s Mannequin, Everything In Transit. Luckily, doctors were able to catch it before it became too serious and were certain that McMahon would fully recover. Before McMahon was able to celebrate his album release, though, he first had to go through the battle of recovering from leukemia.

Along the way, he documented his journey and with the support of his family and fans he dealt with two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation and a bone marrow transplant from his sister Katie. Upon his return to music, he played a return show in October 2005 in Los Angeles that was his first concert in six months.

 His struggle with the disease and his recovery from it has served as an inspiring story to many of his fans.

“It’s really inspiring how Andrew was able to endure so many treatments while staying positive and continuing to make amazing music,” junior Emily Elliston said.

However, McMahon’s dealing with cancer does not end there. In July 2006, McMahon established the Dear Jack foundation, a non-profit organization which works to raise money for cancer research. The money raised by his charity goes to its primary beneficiaries, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.  Through his disease, McMahon was able to give back to society with his charity. Just recently, Jack’s Mannequin raised $10,000 for the foundation through the bands fall tour.

“The Dear Jack Foundation has done a lot of good in the cancer research community and it’s cool that Andrew decided to use his power through his fan base and music to encourage people to get involved,” junior Lauren Mulvihill said.

Throughout the years, McMahon has worked to raise money for cancer research all the while pursuing his music career. In 2009, he released his Dear Jack DVD which documents the things he faced during treatment. A portion of the proceeds made from the DVD will go to the Dear Jack Foundation and further support cancer research facilities.

During his concert on Wednesday, it was evident that he was in good health and was doing so much better now. For a man that’s gone through so much, McMahon continues to give back to his fans through his music and to those like him through his charity.

In an interview McMahon had with absolutepunk.net about two months after his diagnosis, he thanked his fans for always being there for him. In the long run, it’s really the fans who should be thanking him for the inspiration his journey has provided.