'I am not afraid,' Ron Hynes says as he battles 2nd round of cancer

Singer-songwriter Ron Hynes says he is overwhelmed by support from across the country after announcing that he is battling hip and lung cancer.

"I've had nearly 500 responses … emails, texts, phone calls," said Hynes in an interview Thursday with CBC's On the Go.

"The response is amazing. I just feel so loved."

Hynes said he was on tour about a month ago when he began experiencing pain in his right leg, lung and ribcage.

"I went to see my cancer specialist and we discovered I have cancer cells that got into my bloodstream when I was sick with throat cancer in 2012, and then moved into my right hip and right lung.

Since then, he has had five bouts of radiation, and will be getting chemotherapy for the cysts on his lung.

"I'm optimistic," Hynes said. "It's not as serious as the throat cancer. I am not afraid."

Hynes said he will have to cut back on his travel, but he will continue with smaller concerts, workshops, and mentoring younger writers.

"I'm not going to have to reach out to the public for money or have benefits, or rely on people's generosity. I'm just going to continue to work, to write," he said.

• Ron Hynes lauds fans for support during cancer recovery
• Ron Hynes recovering from throat cancer treatment

"I just want to say to all of you, it was a hard decision to reveal this private side of my life but I owe you all a huge debt that I will go on repaying for as long as there's a breath in my body and a song in my heart," Hynes said in a Facebook post.

Hyned has a new CD coming soon. He will perform at a house show in Torbay on Nov. 1, with another show set for Nov. 8. Seating is limited to 20 guests per show.