Randy Travis had '1 per cent chance of survival' following multiple serious health ordeals in 2013
Randy Travis was hospitalised in 2013 with congestive heart failure linked to viral cardiomyopathy, but he also suffered a massive stroke that left him partially paralysed and severely affected his mobility and ability to speak.
Randy Travis had a "1 per cent chance of survival" after suffering multiple serious health complications during a hospital stay in 2013, his wife has revealed.
The legendary country singer was hospitalised with congestive heart failure linked to viral cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle, but he also suffered a massive stroke that left him with partial paralysis and severely affected his mobility and ability to speak.
Randy, now 67, endured a gruelling five-and-a-half-month hospital stay, where he underwent two brain surgeries, followed by years of rehabilitation.
His wife, Mary, told Fox News Digital: "They had already told us he had 1 per cent chance of survival. And that was the first couple of days in the hospital.
"So here we are, five and a half months later, he’s still here. He’s still improving.
"We went through the second brain surgery. He came through that with flying colours. The first one is when they said he’s not, you know, he doesn’t have any chance. But, you know, once you get over those and you start seeing the glimmers of hope and the hand of God on the whole thing."
She continued: "We went through three years of rehab every single day, so we were very quiet and out of the limelight, if you will. We, you know, we were at home. We went to rehab every day for about three years."
Mary is in awe of the Forever and Ever, Amen hitmaker's strength and resilience in the face of his heartbreaking health ordeal.
She said: "Just being with this guy has been such an inspiration to me because, going through even the tough times in the hospital, the nurses would come in and cut him or stick him or poke him or do whatever, and they'd walk out the door.
"And if he wasn't in his coma and he was aware, he’d say, ‘Thank you.’ That was Randy Travis. And they'd turn around and look like, you got to be kidding me, you know
"But that was Randy Travis."
Despite continuing to struggle with aphasia, Randy's strength and resilience shone through during his rehabilitation and does today.
Mary said: "I have pictures of him there in the rehab center and he's smiling. He's laughing. He’s giving it all he's got. Randy Travis hasn't changed. And that's still the man that I get to sit beside right now.
"He still has that, that love for life, the love for people."
Randy has recently released Same Old Way, his first album of original material in more than 18 years, which features 12 previously unreleased songs that were recorded between 1986 and 2013.
And it marked a "really emotional" moment for Mary.
She explained: "It's really an emotional thing, because 18 years ago when he put out his last one, we thought that the world was an oyster and there was gonna be so many more.
"But the stroke happened, it was 13 years ago, and everything changed.
"Thirteen years ago, we had no idea, based on where we were then, when we were in the hospital, that we would have this opportunity. So, in a way, it’s a miracle.
"I get emotional when I think about it, just because I wanted to hear his voice so bad again."
Randy's health ordeal reminded him and Mary just how precious life is.
She said: "Life is so precious and so fragile, but it’s so wonderful also. And to be able to do something like this, it’s pretty monumental.
"It doesn't happen often that somebody has the opportunity to do this after a life-changing moment."
