King Of Hearts

To all my family, friends, and fans,

Thank you so much for all the prayers, tweets, texts, Face Book messages, or any sort of support during these last 3 days. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life. Some of you may or may not know what had happened, so i would like to take this time to explain.

On Thursday morning about 2AM I woke up in the middle of the night with burning pain in my shoulders and around my chest. I had already been complaining of shortness of breath the few days before which I had convinced myself i was just having anxiety problems or coming down with the flu. At 2AM i shot out of sleep, that was considerably restless to begin with, having pain as if had done 1,000 pound shoulder presses the day before. I told myself that i probably just pulled a muscle and what terrible timing with the “anxiety effects.” I never went back to sleep that night. Trust me, I tried.

It felt like my shoulders were on fire. I tried to take deep breaths but i could only inhale so far and that just magnified the pain i was feeling in my shoulders already. I paced around my room. I watched ESPN. I paced around my room. I watched Home Alone. I tried to rub my shoulders as if it would take the pain away. i swigged some Thera Flu. I rubbed my body with Vic’s Vapor Rub. i paced around my room and watched ESPN again. Damn Ohio really hates Lebron.

I continued this behavior for hours. I didn’t want to wake anyone out of sleep so i painfully patiently waited till the sun came up in hope of someone to awaken in the house. Maybe a hit a of a cigarette will help? Nope it actually made me have even shallower breath after. (Dumb Moment) My room mates awoke and they heard my pleas of pain. But i was too proud to admit i needed help. I thought the pain would pass. Instead for the next several hours i just moaned out loud, wondering what was going on. I tried to take a Percocet with thoughts that it would stop the pain for a little and i could sneak a nap in. That only lasted about an hour, till i was awoken by the chest agony. And again i paced around and continued to moan and groan. My pride meter was depleting and i admitted to myself by about 2:30 PM on Thursday that i should go seek help

“Oh My God, This F*cking hurts. I can’t breath” I must of sounded like an Indian Chief chanting these words over and over in my friends car. She was to take me to work where i would meet another friend who was going to either drop me off at the shop to get my car or take me too the Health Clinic. (“Because it wasn’t anything major enough to go to the actual hospital). Yes, another dumb moment. We stopped for gas, they got some Starbucks and we finally arrived to work. I jumped out the car and immediately jumped into my friends car and said “take me to the Clinic. Something is wrong” Why didn’t i go to the hospital immeadiately? Well thats another story about a man who quits his full-time job and losses his benefits so he can chase his dreams.

So i get to the clinic. I can barely breath. And i can honestly say I’m really scared.

They checked my vitals. Good. I used some breathing contraption for 15 minutes and it didn’t help. They took X-Rays of my lungs. Nothing. I wanted them to tell me i was just having an anxiety attack and a few pulled muscles but instead i had to take an Electrocardiogram or EKG. An EKG measures electric activity in the heart during a captured period of time. (wikipedia) The Doctor told me i had an irregular activity in the heart. My pride meter dips to zero. I am officially terrified.

It all happen so fast after that.

Paramedics show up. Put me on a stretcher. Do more tests. Throw in an ambulance and take me to St. Clair Hospital. Next thing i know I’m in a room and they are doing the same test from the clinic but this time they draw blood and eventually give me an ultra sound. I asked the good doctor if i was having twins.

It turns out i was having a heart attack.

in less than one hour of getting to the hospital i was signing waivers for a heart procedure. I remember calling my mom and all we did was cry.

One of my arteries in my heart was 100% clogged. It was necessary to unblock the artery and fix it before my heart would take anymore damage. The doctor told me that it was blocked for some time now. And Thursday was the time that my body decided to tell me.

Barely 2 weeks before this i had just finished a 2 month tour. I performed in over 56 shows, in 28 states, and a few cities in Canada. It was the a dream fulfilled but a career newly started.

This heart attack could have happened at anytime, in anyplace. But it decided to happen Thursday.

The procedure took an hour. I was awake for most of it. The doctor put a hole in my groin and from there he fixed my heart.