As Randy Travis recovered from his near-fatal stroke in 2013, his doctors weren’t too optimistic that he’d survive.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Travis’s wife, Mary, revealed the heartbreaking advice doctors gave her.
“I went to his bedside when they said, ‘We need to pull the plug. He’s got too many things going against him at that point,” Mary recounted to the outlet in August.
She noted that “there was never a doubt in Randy’s mind that he could make it through,” but at the time, things weren’t looking good.
The “Forever and Ever, Amen,” singer was recovering from his stroke while battling a staph infection and multiple hospital-borne bacterial viruses like Serratia and Pseudomonas. Mary explained that it “one thing after another,” so much so that “the doctors were just saying, ‘He just doesn’t have the strength to get through this.”
As Travis’s vitals hit new lows and his blood cell count dwindled, Mary was told to say goodbye to her husband so he could be taken off life support.
“That’s when I went to him. That was the moment that I knew that Randy Travis was gonna make it because he squeezed my hand and a tear went down his face. And I said, ‘He’s still fighting,’” Mary recalled.
From that point forward, she informed her husband’s medical team that they were all going to keep fighting for him.
Travis’s medical nightmare began in 2013 after he was hospitalized for viral cardiomyopathy. A few days later, he suffered a massive stroke that paralyzed his right side and caused aphasia, a condition that severely impaired his ability to speak and sing.
Fortunately, the 66-year-old singer has made remarkable strides in his recovery. While he still uses a wheelchair and relies on Mary to assist him in public communication, he has returned to music. Using AI technology, Travis recreated his voice for his 2024 song “Where That Came From,” and “Horses in Heaven,” which was released this year.
He is also currently on his “More Life Tour.” Although Travis doesn’t sing during the performances, special guest vocalist James Dupré fills in for him while Travis, his original band, and Mary are all on stage.
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