Drake White sent fans in shock when he collapsed onstage during an outdoor concert in Roanoke, Virginia.
After performing for just 15 minutes during the concert, the music icon stumbled so badly that one of his bandmates had to support him to prevent him from a total collapse.
Following the scare, White took to social media to relieve his concerned fans, writing: “Hey friends — sorry we had to cut it short tonight. I’m getting checked out by some of Roanoke’s finest docs and will keep you posted.”
It was later revealed that the 35-year-old country star had been fighting a rare brain condition called arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
It’s a disease in which arteries and veins get abnormally entangled to each other in the brain, disrupting blood flow.
Although the musician had known about his illness since January, he was allegedly keeping it secret, waiting for a suitable time to make it public.
“I’m not telling this story for me,” White told PEOPLE as he finally revealed the details about his battle.
“Someone needs to hear it and God wants me to share it. It will help people believe in miracles, and I will feel that energy. The world needs that kind of energy right now.”
White was having regular sessions of curative embolization to cut off blood supply to the entangled blood vessels.
However, it cannot be figured out if the recent collapse was an outcome of the grueling treatment process or an indication of his worsening condition.
“It was basically stealing blood from my brain,” White said. “The neurologist told me that I should be thankful it was caught in time, because it could have caused a stroke.”
White’s declining health came to his notice during the last winter when he survived what he calls the worst headache of his life.
The musician, who was at his Nashville home at the time, rushed to the emergency with wife Alex.
“That morning, I had worked out and went to a lunch meeting, and that’s when the headache started,” White said as he recollected his memories from the day.
“By 2 p.m. I was in bed seeing spots in my left eye, and that’s when my left side started going numb. I tried to sleep it off but woke up with the same intense headache.”
He added: “The true nightmare is having something wrong with you and not knowing what it is. Nobody could tell me what was wrong.”
An MRI revealed that White had brain AVM.
“The next thing I know, there is a guy walking in with the word ‘neurologist’ on his nameplate,” White recalled. “He told me, ‘You have a mass in the back of your head. It’s treatable, but it’s going to take a while.’
“It was at that moment Alex and I said to each other that whatever it is, we would battle through it. Our faith went into overdrive.”
After the diagnosis, White had to go through a series of embolization.
Revealing how tough his treatment was, White said his neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Mericle, ran catheter through his femoral arteries ‘all the way up to the back of my head to glue the AVM shut.’
Within eight months, White had gone through four embolization with the last taking place just four days before his recent collapse.
White said his surgeon has removed 75% of the AVM mass and he is expected to be free from this agonizing disorder by the end of this year.
Despite the ailment, the singer continued to perform because singing is something which inspires him to combat his rare condition.
“There was a show in April that I played 48 hours after surgery,” White said. “And that was very therapeutic to me. Emotionally it made me realize that I could still do this.”
He also believes that his continued battle with the condition has turned him into a more positive person.
“My attitude is better. From the moment I found out, I refused to see it as a problem,” he said. “Rather, I chose to let it inspire me and help others.
“I have to think I’ve been going through all of this for a reason. Everyone is going through something.
“You have to treat every person like it could be their last day. Not to be all sunshine and rainbows, but all of this made me appreciate all that I have and all that is to come.”
Recommended Video For You!
“Coffee Shop Musician Sings Surprise Duet With Famous Singer Without Knowing It”
[rumble video_id=vd6v3 domain_id=u7nb2]