Montel Williams usually keeps his private life out of the limelight, but now he’s sharing details about his recent health scare to raise awareness for others. According to The Jasmine Brand, back in June, the 61-year-old former talk show host was hospitalized for nearly a month after suffering a rare stroke. Now, he’s revealing how the terrifying experience has changed his life.
Montel’s Wake-Up Call:
It has been reported that Williams suffered a rare cerebellar hemorrhagic stroke. The health crisis reportedly happened after an intense workout. The stroke caused multiple bodily coordination problems leaving Williams nearly paralyzed on one side of his body. Although Williams is doing much better now, he’s speaking out about his experience in hopes of helping others. During a recent interview, he explained how the health scare has changed his life.
“This gave me a wake-up call in a lot of ways,” Williams said. He admitted that he was pushing himself beyond unrealistic limits in hopes of achieving the physical look he had when he was much younger.
While it’s definitely important to stay on top of your health, Williams explained why it’s much more important to just be alive. The stroke made Williams realize that he needs to slow down a bit.
“I was pushing way harder than I should [have been] pushing, chasing this weird body ideal that I had when I was a kid. A very close doctor friend of mine said to me, ‘So what? So you can be the best-looking f—— corpse in the morgue? What good does that do you?’ And it took those words and this stroke to set in. I said, ‘I gotta stop.’”
Paralyzed and Terrified:
Since June, Williams has been making progress during the recovery process, but when he had the stroke, life changed drastically. He went on to share how terrifying the experience was. But despite major setback, he was determined to move forward.
“I could barely talk,” he remembers. “I couldn’t sit up. I couldn’t stand. I was almost paralyzed, it was terrifying. But I remember telling myself, ‘You’re not dying. You’re not quitting. You’re going to fight this. You’re going to get this back.’”
Ahead of the Game:
Williams isn’t at 100% just yet, but he’s revealed he’s ahead of the recovery timeline and he’s already setting goals for when he bounces back. After barely being able to walk, sit up, or stand, Williams has made a complete turnaround and he’s working hard to go snowboarding in the near future.
“I’m way ahead of the rehab game right now. My physical therapist, Paul Reilly, asked early on, ‘What do you want to get out of this?’ And I said, ‘I’d love to snowboard again this year.’ So we set that goal and we’re almost there. I really need another month before I’m beyond that acute phase of having a stroke. But I made it back. I got it back. And I probably will snowboard in January.”
Snowboarding may seem like a major leap considering all he’s been through this year, but it looks like he’s definitely up for the challenge. Best of luck to Montel Williams during his recovery.
