On July 30th, 2024, Roy Liljequist’s life changed as his doctor told him that he had stage two esophageal cancer.

Liljequist had begun having difficulty swallowing, which is what prompted him to go to see his doctor. At first, he was treated for acid reflux, but when the medication he was prescribed failed to help, Liljequist was scheduled for an upper endoscopy.

“They put a scope down my throat, and then they found the cancer in my esophagus,” said Liljequist.

Liljequist quickly began six weeks of radiation treatment, before transitioning to chemotherapy every two weeks. Then, the day after Thanksgiving, Liljequist went in for surgery in hopes of removing the cancer for good.

“Mine was stage two, and my doctor said it was closer to stage three, and I consider myself really lucky,” said Liljequist.

Now, almost one year after his initial diagnosis, Liljequist is making his return to performing – a hobby he has had since he learned to play guitar as a ten-year-old.

“My sister taught me a gospel song, “Do Lord.” I mean, and then I just wrote a song now and then, and played, picked up my guitar once in a great while, never got super good at it, just enough where I tinker around, and then I just, when I got older, started writing more songs. Some of the songs start getting better,” said Liljequist.

Liljequist performed for the first time at Ursa Minor Brewery in Duluth on Saturday, May 3rd, performing a list of his original works. He hopes to use his platform as a performer for good, advocating for others to get checked by a doctor when symptoms – like his- arise.

“So, believe me, you don’t want to go through this, you know?” said Liljequist.

Click here to view Roy Liljequist’s website to learn more on where he will perform next.