Drake White Learning To Walk, Play Guitar Again After Brain Hemorrhage

Drake White Learning To Walk, Play Guitar Again After Brain Hemorrhage

Drake White is sharing an update after a difficult year of dealing with a variety of health issues.

At the beginning of the year, in January, White was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal tangle of arteries and veins in the brain that disrupts normal blood flow. After his initial diagnosis, he went through a series of embolization procedures to cut off blood flow to the affected vessels.

This past August, White nearly collapsed on stage during a show in Roanoke, Virginia. “I felt a sharp pain in my left side and went numb,” White recalled. “I was pulled off the stage and just remember having this unbearable headache.”

While on his way to a nearby hospital, White called his wife, Alex, to tell her what was going on. “I told her I felt like I was dying,” White says. “She drove all the way here from Nashville with that info. It took her seven hours to get there. And those first 48 hours were very critical. I was being watched very closely. It was a crucial, life and death sort of thing.”

Following the incident, White was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, which is possibly connected to the treatment he had been receiving the AVM. He’s since been fighting to regain movement he lost on his left side following the collapse while also going through speech therapy.

“Cognitively everything looks good,” he previously shared with People. “That has been one of my biggest feats through all of this- not being about to think, my brain not working. Luckily that hasn’t happened., If I work hard, hopefully nothing will be permanent.”

Due to the numbness on his entire left side, White’s also had to relearn how to play guitar with his left hand. He’s gone through six embolization procedures which he says “is going good.” He adds, “I’m just still working on that left hand. My ring finger and pinky are okay, but my pointer, my bird finger and my thumb still has some numbness to it. But I’m grabbing the neck of the guitar and holding it and trying to form the chords. It will be fine.”

Through it all, White remains positive about the situation, though he does admit some days are harder than others. Thanks to the continued support and care from Alex and their family and friends, White is determined to reach his ultimate goal.

“No one can guarantee anything in terms of neurological stuff,” he says. “But no matter what, I’m getting back on that stage in front of those people. I 100% believe that. I need those endorphins and the euphoria that comes from being on that stage. I’m going to play a show, whether that’s 2020 or later or two hours from now.”

Photo: Getty Images


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