After canceling his tour last month, Paul Cauthen has revealed he was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma—a type of thyroid cancer. In an earnest video message to fans, the country singer-songwriter pledged, “I will tour again. I will sing onstage again.”

On February 6th, a statement attributed to “Team Paul Cauthen” appeared on the “Cocaine Country Dancing” singer’s social media stating, “Starting today Paul is leaving the road and going back to Texas to take care of his mental and physical health.” Cauthen subsequently canceled all his remaining tour dates and went radio silent, until Thursday morning.

“I know I’ve kind of been blacked out and, you know, not really present online, but just know that it’s been for the right reasons,” Cauthen said in a two-and-a-half-minute video posted across his social media channels. “I had pneumonia on the road and I was taking a bunch of steroids to get me through those shows. Something woke me up and I was blue in my lips and white in my face, and just scared the hell out of me. Went up in front of my bus and talked to my bus driver, Tony, and I was like, ‘Where are we?’ Looked out the front of the bus window and it said Des Moines International Airport next exit. I flew home. I kind of shook myself, you know, and listened to myself for the first time in a long time.”

Related: Widespread Panic Welcomes Margo Price & Paul Cauthen For Encore At Memphis Finale [Photos/Videos]

While home, Cauthen visited the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX for a battery of tests. The results came back that his heart, lungs, and liver were in good shape, but that he had a little “hot spot” in his right thyroid that turned out to be a cancerous mass of papillary carcinoma.

“Looking back at it all, you know, slowing down and taking some time to get healthy and getting off the road actually probably ended up saving my life,” Cauthen reflected. “I have had a lot of time to reflect and realize that life is short and precious and just know that I thank you so much for all of your unwavering support through it all.

“I will tour again. I will sing onstage again,” Cauthen declared. “I’m not done by any means. I’ll have new music. I will keep on writing and keep on doing what I know that I need to do.”

Watch the entire statement from Paul Cauthen regarding his cancer diagnosis. Get well soon, Big Velvet.