HATEBREED’s WAYNE LOZINAK Opens Up About Undergoing Brain Surgery & Having A Minor Stroke

Hatebreed guitarist Wayne Lozinak has shared an update on his health following brain surgery earlier this year, revealing the full extent of his recovery journey after doctors removed a benign tumor.

Speaking to The Mike James Rock Show, Lozinak explained how the issue first came to light during the band’s European tour over the summer. “I had symptoms at [the U.K.’s] Download festival [in June],” he recalled. “I went to the doctor in France the next day. It was weird — my lip got numb, and I was, like, ‘That’s kind of weird.’ But then I couldn’t talk. It was almost like I was having a stroke.”

Despite feeling better the next day, Lozinak said it was his girlfriend who pushed him to get checked out. “My girlfriend actually told me… I was, like, ‘I’m fine.’ She’s, like, ‘You’d better go or I’m gonna come out there.’ I was, like, ‘All right. All right. I’ll go. I’ll go.’ And then I got the scan and they saw a big tumor.”

The guitarist was kept overnight in France before receiving an MRI that confirmed the tumour was benign. “No cancer, which was good, but it was big,” he said. “They said it’s probably been there for years. The doctor said, ‘It’s not an emergency, but get it done within the next three months.’ So I went back to the U.S., made an appointment with a surgeon. I got it taken out, and now I’m here [back on tour with Hatebreed].”

Lozinak went on to detail the immediate aftermath of the surgery on August 4th. “I couldn’t even talk when they first took [the tumor] out,” he said. “‘Cause it was in my speech center, so I actually had a mild stroke when they took it out. So I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t write. It was almost like I just forgot how to speak. So I needed speech therapist, all this stuff.”

Despite the serious complications, he was determined to get back to doing what he loved — including relearning the guitar. “I was in the hospital for five days, something like that. So I was just in bed. When I got home, it was slow. When I first got home, I picked it up. That was one of the first things I did. I was, like, ‘All right, I know the chords.’ And then as time went on, then I was fine.”

Doctors estimated a four-to-eight-week recovery window, and Wayne was quick to ask about touring. “They were, like, ‘Don’t headbang too crazy.’ That’s my one thing. I’m, like, ‘I’ll try not to.’ It’s hard, but, yeah, that was about it. But I’m pretty good now, so I’m happy.”