Country star Clay Walker is facing one of the hardest chapters in his decades-long fight with multiple sclerosis (MS) — but he’s refusing to back down.

Diagnosed in 1996 at just 26 years old, Walker has lived most of his adult life managing the unpredictable disease, which attacks the nervous system and causes symptoms such as weakness, muscle stiffness, and loss of coordination.

Over the years, he’s learned how to balance his music career with ongoing treatments and lifestyle adjustments. But in a candid new interview with PEOPLE, the “Rumor Has It” singer admitted that 2025 has been especially challenging.

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“It Really Started To Worry Me”

Walker revealed that his symptoms intensified earlier this year.

“At the beginning of the year, I noticed I was having a lot of difficulty with balance and walking, and it really started to worry me,” he shared. “I knew I had to do something.”

In March, doctors implanted a baclofen pump, a device that delivers medication directly into the spinal fluid to reduce muscle spasms and stiffness.

At first, Walker said the surgery gave him hope — but the results haven’t been as strong as he’d expected.

“So far, it’s not great,” he admitted. “It hasn’t done what I wanted it to. Balance has been an issue lately.”

Still, the Texas native has remained determined. Through physical therapy and sheer perseverance, he’s starting to see slow but steady progress.

“Am I walking perfect? No. Am I walking better? Absolutely,” he said proudly. “I got on a treadmill the other day without a harness holding me up, and I walked five minutes. That is progress.”

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Beating The Odds — Nearly 30 Years Later

When Walker was first diagnosed, doctors didn’t expect him to live long, much less keep touring and performing into his 50s.

“The prognosis was horrific,” he recalled. “They told me I wouldn’t be around very long — that I’d end up in a wheelchair and die quickly because of the amount of lesions I had.”

Now, almost three decades later, Walker has far surpassed every prediction.

“We turned everything upside down,” he said. “We already won the battle. We’ve got that to celebrate.”

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“My Joy Comes From Being On Stage”

Despite his ongoing health struggles, Walker refuses to slow down. He’s been performing across the country on his Drive Me Smooth Tour, with a full slate of shows already planned for 2026.

“Does it bother me that people see me struggle to get off stage? Yes, it does,” he admitted. “But my band knows me so well. All it takes is one glance — they’re always there for me. My bass player Curt Walsh even jokes, ‘If you see me falling, fall in front of me so I don’t get hurt.’”

Performing, Walker says, is his greatest source of joy and strength.

“My joy comes from being on stage. There’s a rush of energy and endorphins that nothing else can compare to. I don’t think there’s a drug that has that kind of effect — it’s crazy.”

And no matter what comes next, he refuses to give up.

“I’m not giving up,” Walker declared. “I’m like a pit bull — you can swing me off a cliff, and I ain’t letting go. Everybody has their own cross to bear, and this one’s mine.”