S Poddar
Queen guitarist Brian May, 77, has recently issued a health update to his fans, and it is none too good. According to him, he was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a minor stroke, which left him paralyzed in his left arm-temporarily. Pretty frightening for the rock legend.
In a candid video he put on his website, May accounted for the succession of events that culminated in his hospitalization. “It turned out to be a little health hiccup, really,” he described how that was all it took, and before he knew it, he was racing in an ambulance to the hospital. “The good news is I can play guitar,” May reassured his fans, wiggling his fingers for proof that movement was back in his arm.
May recalled how suddenly the stroke had occurred: “They called it a minor stroke, and all of a sudden out of the blue, I didn’t have any control of this arm.” As he moved his left arm to demonstrate its regained function, he acknowledged, “It was a little scary, I gotta say.
Yet May was grateful for the care and called it “fantastic,” including the dramatic ambulance ride with “blue lights flashing.” In typical light-hearted fashion, he almost joked he could show a video of his experience, “It was very exciting. I might post a video if you like.
While May is on the mend, he currently has firm instructions to take it easy. In the video, he joked about how frustrating it has been being “grounded” and not allowed to do anything that raises his heart rate, including driving or flying. “Not allowed to have planes flying over, which will stress me,” he quipped, looking up to a plane flying over. However, May reassured his fans, “But I’m good.”
This isn’t the first time the legendary musician has faced serious health challenges. In May 2020, May said he was “very near death” after being admitted into the hospital with a heart attack. While in that hospital stay, doctors also found three blocked arteries dangerously close to cutting off the blood supply to his heart. Complicating his recovery, he was put on medications for his condition, one of which caused a severe stomach problem that almost killed him.
Recalling his 2020 heart attack, May says he has little idea why it would have happened to him since he has always lived healthy. “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t have high cholesterol and I was working out through the tour so why did it happen? ” he mused.
Despite the mysterious nature of his heart condition, he felt comforted that his heart was now in better condition than before, as he had said, “At least I now have a heart that is working far better than it was.” The recuperation of May has continued, but he has made it plain that he doesn’t want anyone’s sympathy. He asked his fans not to send a flood of well-wishes to his inbox, citing that he prefers to keep things low-key. For now, his focus remains on regaining full strength and continuing his legendary musical career.
