Breaking Benjamin drummer Shaun Foist has made the difficult decision to step away from touring with the band to focus on his health. In a public statement, Foist revealed that he is battling the ongoing effects of Hashimoto’s disease, a chronic autoimmune condition that has begun to severely impact his ability to perform.
Foist, who has been a part of the band’s revamped lineup since their record-breaking album Dark Before Dawn, shared the personal toll the disease has taken on his body. He explained that his battle with the illness began in 2017, but it flared up significantly during the band’s “Awaken The Fallen” tour earlier this year. Foist described experiencing “extreme leg fatigue and complications, making drumming nearly impossible.” After a medical evaluation, doctors confirmed the flare-up and advised him to step away from the road to recover.
In his social media post, Foist emphasized that his decision was made out of a sense of commitment to the band’s legacy. “I care deeply about our legacy, and I don’t want my health to affect performances,” he stated, urging fans to continue supporting the band and attending their shows.
Before joining Breaking Benjamin, Foist had a long career in music, drumming for over 20 years for various rock bands on the East Coast. He spent 13 years with Picture Me Broken, a band fronted by Gregg Allman‘s daughter Brooklyn Allman. With Breaking Benjamin, Foist contributed to the monumental success of the band’s 2015 album Dark Before Dawn, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and produced the hit single “Failure.” Despite the current setback, Foist remains optimistic about his future, concluding his statement with a hopeful promise: “I will play drums again.”
Shaun Foist full statement is as follows:
“Friends, family, and most importantly, the fans I’ve battled Hashimoto’s disease since 2017, facing fatigue, leg weakness, stiffness, weight changes, and overall drum playing control issues. During the ‘Awaken The Fallen’ tour, I was experiencing extreme leg fatigue and complications, making drumming nearly impossible. We ran tests on my back that came out fine thankfully, but tests confirmed Hashimoto’s had flared, pushing my thyroid into ‘hyper’ mode, causing weakness and weight loss.
After speaking with my family and doctors, I’ve decided to step away from the road at this time to focus on healing.
Please continue supporting the band and enjoying the shows.
I care deeply about our legacy, and I don’t want my health to affect performances.
Thank you for the years of love and support. I will play drums again.”
