Jeremih is thankful to be alive after his near-death battle with COVID-19.
The R&B singer is speaking out for the first time since he was released from the ICU last month. During an interview with Chance the Rapper on “Sway’s Universe” to promote their holiday album Merry Christmas Lil Mama, Jeremih revealed that he had to learn to walk and eat again after contracting a rare case of the deadly virus.
“It definitely is real and I didn’t take it for granted and truth be told, I’m a living, walking testimony,” said the 33-year-old. “I was really down bad for the last month, month and a half while I was in there. I don’t even remember the day I went in. That’s how messed up it was.”
His mother came to visit him at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but she was not allowed due to the hospital restrictions. However, once Chance intervened and “made some calls,” she was able to see her son.
He doesn’t recall much, but his mother showed him photos. “I had a tube down my throat for about a week and a half. I was really like in a dream. I woke up like two times and all I remember is just seeing a white light.”
Jeremih also developed “multiple inflammatory syndrome,” which he described as a “rare cause and effect of COVID.” “My whole insides, all my organs became inflamed. My heart started beating irregularly and my kidneys went out, my liver started to clear and go bad. Mind you, I didn’t know what was going on at the time. I was out.”
THANK GOD IM STILL HERE, THANK YA’LL FOR THE ?? UP #imbackkkk pic.twitter.com/Symo8dhCFp
— Jeremih (@Jeremih) December 9, 2020
He was released from ICU after about a week and a half. “I had to learn how to walk again, eat, all that,” he shared. “Mind you, I’ve never been to a hospital in my entire life either, not for a broken bone, not for nothing. So just to be in there I look at it as a blessing. As crazy as it might sound, I needed to sit down. I needed to take a break.”
The harrowing experience caused him to take a step back and reflect on his life. “It’s been 13 years since I’ve been me, to the world Jeremih. And it’s been one long party, I ain’t gon’ lie to you,” he said. “A lot of the things now I don’t take for granted. But sometimes you have to have a setback in order for the big payback.”
He’s now motivated to be the best version of himself. “Whatever I’ve done before now I’m going to do it to the 10th power because it’s a reason why I’m still here,” he said. “I got my voice again, learned how to walk again, now I gotta learn how to run and bust a move like [Chris Brown].”
Jeremih is now “resting up” at his mother’s house for the remainder of the year.
