Randy Travis had only a “1% chance of survival” after he was hospitalized in 2013 for viral cardiomyopathy.
His wife, Mary, whom he married in 2015, revealed the news in an interview with Fox News Digital published Friday, recalling the country music legend’s devastating health crisis more than a decade ago.
“They had already told us he had a 1% chance of survival. And those were the first days in the hospital,” Mary told the outlet.
“So here we are, five and a half months later, he’s still here. He’s still getting better,” she added of her thoughts while noting that Randy, now 67, came out of his second brain surgery “with flying colors.”
She also remembers doctors telling them Randy had “no chance” after his first brain surgery, before they began to see “glimmers of hope and the hand of God” in his recovery.
Randy then suffered a stroke, prompting the couple to spend the next three years in daily rehabilitation. Mary said they remained “very quiet and out of the limelight” during this time.
She went on to say that Randy eventually “had enough” of the treatment and decided to “live his life,” which included continuing to work on his music.
The country music legend released his first full-length album of original music in over 18 years, “Same Old Way,” on Friday. Mary said just being with Randy is “such an inspiration” to her.
She also said that if Randy hadn’t been in a coma and had been aware of his surroundings, he probably would have thanked the nurses every time they had to “cut, stick or poke him.”
“It was Randy Travis,” she added.
Mary then explained how much the album’s release meant to her, recalling that before Randy’s stroke, they thought “the world was an oyster” and that he would go on to release “many more” albums.
She described the latest release as a “miracle”, adding: “Life is so precious and so fragile, but it’s also so wonderful. And to be able to do something like this, it’s pretty monumental. It doesn’t happen often that someone gets the opportunity to do this after a life-changing moment.”
Randy’s friends and family members were reportedly “frantic” and “extremely concerned” as the country music legend remained in critical condition in a Dallas, Texas, hospital in July 2013, where he was being treated for acquired viral cardiomyopathy.
Page Six previously reported that Randy, who was 54 at the time, then received an implant known as the world’s smallest heart pump to help improve blood flow to his heart.
Later that month, Randy was recovering from stroke surgery and interacting with friends and family while on a ventilator. By then, the country music legend no longer had a heartbeat and had begun the first stages of physical therapy.
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