Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell sounds just as upbeat as ever about his chances of beating the Hodgkin's lymphoma he was diagnosed with in 2013, but his latest round of treatment will keep him off the road for a series of upcoming live dates.

Campbell, who briefly thought he'd wiped out the disease with a previous course of treatment, only to find that it had returned months later, appears to be back in remission, but has been advised to aggressively pursue any last vestiges with a stem cell transplant. As he explained in a message to fans posted at Def Leppard's official site, this means we'll be seeing less of him over the next few months:

As many of you know, I’ve been scheduled to start a stem cell transplant and as soon as I got home from tour I began the necessary tests and preparations. I’ll be admitted to hospital soon for all the yucky bits, so in the meantime I’m headed to Target to stock up on cozy pajamas, fresh underwear, and a sackful of car-porn.

Unfortunately, this means that I won’t be able to perform with the band on the upcoming NFL broadcast on Sept. 28th, nor will I be able to do the shows scheduled for Oct/Nov.

While I can’t say that I’m looking forward to the process ahead, I’m very much looking forward to what I feel will be a most successful outcome. Next year will be very busy for Def Leppard with a new album and a world tour, and frankly, I don’t think they would sound as loud without me, so I have no intention of letting the team down!

See you all (with hair!) in 2015. - Viv

Campbell's refusal to slow down and relentless good cheer have been an inspiration throughout his ordeal, and while it's unfortunate that he'll be sidelined in the short term, all those "yucky bits" will be worth it if everything goes as smoothly as it should. Between making it through treatment and a new Def Leppard record on the horizon, he should have plenty to celebrate in 2015.

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