A former contestant from The Voice is fighting cancer. However, while his case is terminal and there is no cure, he was able to cross something big off his bucket list. He can’t sing and perform anymore, but there is one other thing he had always dreamed of doing that he finally got a chance for.

Here is what Matt Snook was able to do to achieve a dream as he battles cancer.

The Voice Contestant Matt Snook Battling Terminal Cancer

Matt Snook competed on Season 8 of The Voice and made an immediate impression. He sang Brooks & Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road” in his blind auditions, and that caused Blake Shelton to turn in his chair and bring Matt onto Team Blake for the season.

Matt Snook from The Voice | YouTube

Matt made it to the Live Battle Rounds. However, this is where his The Voice journey ended when he lost to Cody Wickline. Matt sang “How Country Feels” by Randy Houser in that round. However, Matt didn’t let his elimination get him down.

Snook kept singing and enjoyed success in his musical career. He opened for Kacey Musgraves, Joe Diffie, and Michael Peterson over his career. In November 2023, everything fell apart for his career. He began experiencing breathing problems and had a cough he couldn’t get rid of.

He sought medical attention, and he learned he had renal cell sarcomatoid carcinoma. This is an incurable and rare kidney disease. He said this ended his musical touring career, as he doesn’t have the energy or stamina to perform. However, Matt didn’t let them beat him down, and he looked for another passion.

Matt Snook Makes A Dream Come True

Matt Snook wanted to be a big-time country singer, and The Voice allowed him to live that dream for a little while. However, with that dream now ended, he has sought to achieve another dream. He moved into the world of competitive poker.

Matt has been a Texas Hold’em player since he was 21. When he had to stop touring and performing music this year, he set out to attempt to make it on the national poker tour circuits. On July 6, Matt achieved a lifelong dream when he competed in the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.

“[This] is probably going to be one of my last hoorahs to play a tournament,” Matt said about the event. Sadly, Matt also said that doctors have only given him six months to a year to live.

What are your thoughts on Matt Snook and his cancer diagnosis a few years after appearing on The Voice? How great it is that he found something else he could focus attention on that was a lifelong dream? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.