Country Singer: ‘God Has Blessed Me Immensely’ Following Near-Death Experience
By Movieguide® Contributor
Country singer Phil Vassar is sharing the recovery process and lifestyle changes he’s been making after he “dropped dead” twice.
“I was really busy the year before,” Vassar told Forbes of the time leading up to his heart attack. “I did a lot of shows and was on the road a lot. And my tour manager, Jeff, would say, ‘You were so tired, I had to get you out of bed to go on stage. Maybe you’re working out too hard.”
He continued, “And then it happened. I was at my girlfriend’s house and went into sudden cardiac arrest. She started beating on my chest and called 9-1-1, asking them what to do. The paramedics got there within 10 to 15 minutes, but it took them a long time to get my heart beating. They put me in the ambulance, and I coded again on the way to Vanderbilt.”
Vassar was stabilized, but three days later, suffered a stroke and was transported to a hospital in Atlanta.
“It was definitely slow… learning how to walk again and getting back… on the treadmill,” Vassar told Fox News of his recovery process. “They brought a piano in my room at rehab and I just sat and looked at it for a while… they said, I just started playing… it kind of came back, and I was very, very, glad to have that happen.”
Now, Vassar is making some changes in his life to ensure that he stays healthy.
“I’m just getting back into the working out,” he said. “Do more bike riding and walking, get into the weight room a little bit.”
Vassar credits his workouts, as well as treatments in a hyperbaric chamber, for helping him “heal quicker.”
The singer also relied on his faith during his recovery process, saying, “I’m very blessed to be alive. God has blessed me immensely. Especially these times you really count on your faith to kind of pull you through. I don’t know how many times I was sitting in a room, in the dark, or not knowing what was going on and… you pray.”
“You come out on the other side with a different view on life for sure,” he continued. “I feel great, I feel physically wonderful, and mentally I’m just kind of getting back to normal.”
Part of that “getting back to normal” includes heading out on the road again. Vassar will launch his “25 Years of Paradise” tour later this month.
“I’m so happy I’m here and can still do what I love,” he told Penn Live Patriot News. “I’m so blessed to be alive and I don’t take it for granted. I love playing with my band and can’t wait to get back out there and rock the free world.”
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