Country music legend Randy Travis has seen a lifetime of ups and downs. The last four years alone have provided plenty of material for the makings of a great country song, including a life-threatening stroke.
The Truth Behind the Stroke Randy Travis Had
In 2013, Randy Travis suffered a stroke so extreme, it nearly killed him. The severe cardiomyopathy after the stroke left the country singer in a coma, and his wife, Mary Davis-Travis, was forced with the hardest decision of her life.
Doctors suggested she “pull the plug” on her hit-making husband, as his chances of survival after the stroke were slim-to-none. Still, Mary wasn’t interested in giving up on Randy.
“At this point, the one to two percent chance is 100 percent chance over zero,” Mary told USA Today in Feb. “I prayed hard, ‘God, please let me have him back, any way, shape or form.’”
To the surprise of EVERYONE, Randy Travis managed to prove doctors wrong. He pulled through. But now faced with the challenges of no longer being able to walk, talk or sing, Randy embarked on an uphill battle to take his life back.
After numerous surgeries, six months in the hospital and years of therapy, Mary couldn’t be more proud today of the living miracle she gets to call her husband.
“Randy stared death in the face, but death blinked,” she said before an audience in 2016. It was the night Randy Travis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. “Today God’s proof of a miracle stands before you.”
Instagram
Randy has faced tremendous trials and triumphs in his journey, but one thing Mary says she can always count on is her husband’s picture-perfect smile.
“He wakes up with a smile on his face, and he goes to bed with a smile on his face,” she says.
In addition to making several appearances this year, Randy has teamed up with longtime friend and musician Dave Alexander to raise money for the Randy Travis Foundation, which provides “support for victims of strokes and cardiovascular disease, as well as arts and entertainment education for at-risk children.”
Mary says her and Randy’s faith remains strong, and together they are hopeful for whatever God sends their way.
“We can still serve a purpose,” she says. “We just sing a new and different song now.”
Randy has and will continue to show doctors that God had better plans for him than Mary pulling the plug that day. And his wide slew of supportive country music fans will back him all the way.
Now, more than eight years after his stroke, Randy Travis and his wife took an interview on his current condition, and what has happened since, which has included both victories and challenges. They also shared that they continue to have everlasting hope.
During rehabilitation, Randy Travis received a diagnosis of Aphasia, which impacts his speech. The doctors told him that he would not see any progress after the first six months, but he and his wife found that he has been able to make progress throughout the last eight years since his stroke. For example, he has relearned how to sing Amazing Grace and he even performed it in 2016 at the induction ceremony at Country Music Hall of Fame. Now he’s even on TikTok and shares short clips that delight his fans. These include duets with TikTok stars, such as GB from GBandMe and Andrew Jannakos. Those on TikTok can watch as GB realizes she caught the veteran’s eye (when the original singer posts a video of their reaction). Often these duets feature the TikTok stars singing Randy Travis songs, and Randy Travis chimes in here and there. For example in Jannakos’ rendition of Forever and Ever, Amen, Randy Travis inserts himself with an “Amen!”
@randy.travis#stitch with @ajannakos AMEN! Thanks Andrew! #foreverandeveramen #randytravis #amen
Music has been a big part of his recovery, and he and his wife frequently attend musical events and love to support local music artists. His wife explained that music continues to be so important to Randy Travis and while he formerly brought joy to others through his music, now he spends more time receiving joy through music from others. Randy Travis’s wife tells people that even though he continues to have limited abilities with enunciation and dictation, music calls on a different part of the brain and the soul.
Here’s the couple recently being interviewed:
@randy.travisI guess Mary knows me pretty well! We loved this game @joshturnermusic ##yourman ##joshturner ##randytravis ##countrymusic♬ original sound – Randy Travis
