Jesse Malin Shares Health Update From Hospital Amid Spinal Stroke Recovery
Jesse Malin has been in a New York hospital bed since suffering a rare spinal stroke in early May. The medical episode left the songwriter paralyzed from the waist down, Malin revealed exclusively to Rolling Stone in an interview earlier this month, but he’s vowed to walk and dance again. In a new video released Thursday morning, the singer thanked fans for their encouraging messages and donations — a Sweet Relief campaign is raising money for Malin’s healthcare. (You can donate here.)
“Even though it’s been 8 weeks, I’m working really hard, physically and spiritually, doing my best,” Malin said in an accompanying statement. “I miss everybody, and I miss being outside, but I will get there.”
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The video, in which Malin says he’s “still here in the hospital, but I’m in a good state of mind and fighting hard,” arrives with another way to help support his ongoing care: a new T-shirt sold via Sweet Relief. All proceeds go directly to the Jesse Malin Fund.
After the initial stroke, Malin spent two weeks at New York’s Mount Sinai and underwent various spinal procedures. He’s currently in a rehab center at NYU where he’s undergoing rehab and learning how to move his body without the use of his legs and do daily tasks. When he’s discharged this month, he’ll be in a wheelchair and will relocate to a new ADA-compliant apartment.
“The reports from the doctors have been tough, and there’s moments in the day where you want to cry, and where you’re scared,” he told Rolling Stone. “But I keep saying to myself that I can make this happen. I can recover my body.”
Malin, who co-wrote songs with Lucinda Williams for her new album Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart, was slated to be on a U.S. tour this summer but was forced to cancel the trek after his stroke. Still, fans are reaching out.
“Thanks for all the prayers, and well wishes, all the messages,” he says. “Every single one means the world to me.”
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