The doctors caring for country legend Randy Travis provided an update on his health Monday afternoon, telling fans that he is awake and interacting with his family following emergency surgery last week.
Travis’ health took a scary turn on July 10 when he suffered a stroke. His publicist said that he underwent surgery to “relieve pressure on his brain.” The hospital confirmed that he was out of surgery the next day, as his country music colleagues continued to show their support.
According to The Associated Press, The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano provided an update on Travis’ condition Monday afternoon, along with his fiancee, Mary Davis.
“I know that Randy feels each and every one of those,” Davis said about the loving support Travis has received from fans. “He feels the hands of the doctors and the care of the nurses and the love of his fans. His friends and family have all been touched by that. He is responding well to voices and he sees and he understands. He's miles beyond where any of us thought he would be a few days ago.”
USA Today reports that cardiac surgeon Michael Mack explained Travis’ current condition. The Grammy winner “did suffer an acute viral illness over the past three weeks, but that seems to have tipped over a more chronic condition,” Mack explained.
“He has what's called idiopathic cardiomyopathy, which means he has scarring of his heart muscle that is causing his heart to be weak and not able to support his circulation without help of either medical devices or medication.”
Doctor Gary Erwin added that Travis is “awake and alert, interacting with his family and friends and beginning to start doing some early physical therapy.” He added that Travis will likely stay in the hospital for another two to three weeks. He’ll then be moved to an outpatient facility and it could take a month to recover from the stroke. Travis is still in critical condition.