Jesse Malin, an acclaimed New York singer-songwriter and venue owner, is opening up about suffering a rare spinal-cord infarction, or a stroke in his back.
The musician was riding a high after delivering a solid performance at New York's Webster Hall, where he did what he always does — leaping off stage, climbing on top of bar counters and leading the crowd in song. He could not have anticipated the health crisis that loomed.
Weeks later, Malin was at dinner in the East Village with friends when he felt a burning pain in his lumbar region, which migrated down his hips, through his thighs, and into his heels, according to Rolling Stone, which spoke with the notoriously physical, high-energy performer in an interview published Wednesday.
Malin suddenly collapsed onto the floor and, unable to walk, was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital.
"Everybody was standing above me like in Rosemary's Baby, saying all these different things and I was there not knowing what was going on with my body," Malin said.
The incident took place on May 4 and Malin has been paralyzed from the waist down since.
"This is the hardest six weeks that I've ever had," he said. "I'm told that they don't really understand it, and they're not sure of the chances. 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. But I keep saying to myself that I can make this happen. I can recover my body."
An undying optimist, Malin has drawn a following by preaching what he refers to as "P.M.A.," or positive mental attitude, in interviews, onstage and on livestreams when the world went into lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, however, Marlin has admitted he is struggling to summon his P.M.A.
"It's almost like a joke. Like, 'You talk all this P.M.A.? Well, see how you deal with this,'" he said. "They took me outside for the first time the other day in a wheelchair and I went through the lobby and I could see the sun shining through the glass and I just started bawling. It felt like I was watching myself in this movie. I didn't know this person. By the time I got to the corner, I got myself together and into a park, and just breathed in the air."
Malin has since undergone various spinal procedures and is spending his days doing physical therapy and rehabilitation. He will be discharged later this month but will be wheelchair-bound.
With mounting medical costs and the lack of ability to perform, Malin's manager David Bason and a group of friends launched a fundraising campaign, with all donations going directly to Malin's care. He admitted to having mixed feelings about the campaign.
"I always felt that we have a voice with these microphones and with these guitars and with these venues to help each other out. But it's very hard for me to take back and be that person," Malin said. "I don't want to be a burden, but I'm learning. Just laying here and not being able to walk, it's very humbling."
Ironically, amid his struggles, Malin is enjoying a career high as his song, "New York Comeback," which he co-wrote with Lucinda Williams, hits Number One at Americana radio.
"Even though this has been the hardest time of my life, there's been some gifts," Malin said. "I knew I had some great friends and great fans and people in this world, and I'm getting to see a lot of that — though I would have really preferred a birthday party than to find out this way."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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