How Shania Twain Helped Jon Bon Jovi Get Through Vocal Cord Surgery
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Jon Bon Jovi Reveals Advice Shania Twain Gave Him Before Vocal Cord Surgery In 2022
When Jon Bon Jovi realized he needed vocal cord surgery, he reached out to the one person he knew had been through the same thing…Shania Twain.
Bon Jovi opened up about his decision to undergo the operation in his new Hulu docuseries, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. He started having issues with his voice in 2015 but tried to ignore the problem.
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Then, in 2022, Bon Jovi had a “devastating” conversation with his wife, Dorothea. After their talk, he realized he either needed to get help…or retire.
Bon Jovi opted to seek medical help. That’s when he learned about a vocal cord surgery called vocal fold medialization, also known as thyroplasty.
The Cleveland Clinic describes the procedure as such:
“Medialization laryngoplasty (formerly known as thyroplasty) is a surgical treatment for vocal cord paralysis. Your surgeon places an implant into your paralyzed or weak vocal cord. The implant moves a nonfunctioning vocal cord toward the functioning one to allow for better voicing.”
Wanting to learn more about the surgery, Bon Jovi contacted Twain, who underwent the same operation years ago.
Shania Had The Same Operation Herself
Shania Twain nearly lost her voice after contracting Lyme disease, which caused dysphonia, or poor voice quality. Twain accepted she’d likely never sing again before she decided to give surgery a try.
She’s gone in detail about her operation, which she described as “an open-throat operation.”
“I had to have an operation that was very intense and it’s an open-throat operation, very different from a vocal cord operation… and I had to have two of them, so that was really, really, really tough and I survived that, meaning emotionally I survived, and am just ready to keep going,” she told Extra in 2019.
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While some damage remains permanent, the surgery helped Twain regain part of her voice so she could sing again. She released two new albums and returned to performing live after the operation.
How Is Jon Bon Jovi Doing Now?
When Bon Jovi considered undergoing the same procedure, he realized he and Twain would share the same doctor. So he asked for her advice ahead of his own operation.
“… she’s the only other one I’ve known that’s ever had this surgery, with this doctor, and the only reason I found that out is because she reported it in the press,” he said.
He continued, “Not only did she reassure me that it would be OK, but I think she also pulled my leg a little bit because she told me I’d be out there a lot sooner than I have been. She says, ‘Well, I told you that because I knew that you might back out otherwise.’ And so, I couldn’t wait to get the operation.”
Bon Jovi had his surgery in June 2022, which was a success. He says Twain has been his “spirit sister” through it all.
Bon Jovi still works with vocal coaches and performs daily voice exercises to keep his voice strong. His efforts have paid off, because his band Bon Jovi is releasing their 16th album on June 7.
Earlier this year (2024), Bon Jovi was recognized as the MusiCares Person of the Year. Twain attended the gala and covered “Bed of Roses” in her friend’s honor. Watch her performance below.
