Drake White Learning To Walk And Play Guitar Again Following Brain Hemorrhage

Country artist Drake White is giving fans an update on his on-going health condition that took him off the road earlier this year.

Fans will recall in mid-August White was forced to cut his concert short at the Elmwood Parks amphitheater in Roanoke, Virginia, when he nearly collapsed on stage. At the time, he was transported to a nearby trauma center and learned he had suffered a brain hemorrhage.

The cerebral hemorrhage may have possibly been related to the treatment he was receiving for a brain condition known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which, according to the Mayo Clinic website, is “a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain.”

White was diagnosed with AVM back in January, following unordinary headaches he experienced. Since his diagnosis, he’s undergone a series of embolization treatments, including a procedure he received just four days before his show in Virginia.

Following his on-stage collapse, White was transferred from the Roanoke center to a Nashville hospital, where he received treatment for an entire month before he was able to return home. According to People, he’s now at home working hard to restore himself back to health and regain movement he lost after suffering temporary paralysis on his left side. He now uses a cane to get around, but he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to walk on his own in the coming weeks.

“I would say I’m at 75 percent in terms of my recovery,” White told People, adding that his road to recovery hasn’t been easy. “[My wife, Alex] has seen me throw my cane across the room and punch a hole in the wall. And through it all, she has dealt with everything with compassion.”

Along with fighting to regain movement in his legs, White is also working to restore strength and feeling in his fingers so he can get back to playing the guitar.

“[The guitar therapy] is going good,” he explained. “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.”

White also told the outlet that he’s undergone his sixth and “hopefully final embolization procedure.” But even after he heals, he has a long road to recovery ahead since he’ll have to make follow-up appointments with his doctors.

“After the final surgery, I will go back every two months for an angiogram where they will look at the area where the AVM was and make sure it’s still clear,” he explained. “I will do that for six months, and then I will be checked every six months for the next two years.”

Despite all the doctor visits, surgeries, and uncertainty that lies ahead, White has continued to stay positive while on his path to recovery. He has even managed to find a silver lining through all the ups and downs. He says the entire process has restored his spirituality.

“I never thought I would have to go through something like this, but now I know why and it’s mind-blowing,” he said. “I know what He’s doing in my life. This has been transformative in terms of my faith. Everything is going to be better after this.”

Not only has White found time to heal, but also he has found time to write. The singer/songwriter, who has had to cancel several shows to focus on his health, adds that he’s working on his next album.

“I’m really excited. I have so much time to sit now, so I have had time to process and think and observe more than in the past. I’ve been nonstop emailing and texting management. I have to be driving them crazy,” he said. “But here I was, a guy that was out there 300 days a year. Now I’m someone who is sitting down writing poetry and writing songs. Music is just flowing out of me right now.”

“No one can guarantee anything in terms of neurological stuff,” he added. “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.”