R&B singer Muni Long has been given one week to live and has revealed that he has undergone a double lung transplant.
Long, 37, said he became ill while performing on Brandy and Monica’s The Boy Is Mine tour last year and was diagnosed with pneumonia.
“It’s a tough road even when you’re healthy. I shouldn’t have gone on that tour, but there were so many things in my life that I had to do,” Long, who has lupus, explained on Good Morning America on Tuesday, June 23.
Long said he took a short break from touring but later returned. That’s when she started feeling sick.
“I think it was probably five or six dates…I couldn’t even get out of bed in time for the stage call, and then for the last show, I just barely made it,” she said. “I could only do two songs, so my team and my family were like, ‘You can go home and rest.'”
The “Hours and Hours” singer said she woke up in the hospital after Thanksgiving and doctors told her she needed a lung replacement.
“I knew for a long time that something was wrong…It’s like I’m spitting in a glass every day and I’m coughing all the time,” she said, adding, “I was breathing in and out like I had run a marathon.”
“(The doctors) were like, you need a transplant. And I was like, ‘Well, it looks like you guys have time… How long do you have to live?'” And they say, “A week.” My jaw dropped. They’re like, “Hey, this isn’t a joke.” You have to make a choice. Either go to hospice or get a lung. ”
Long, who has a young son, said he is now on the road to recovery, although he is still unable to act.
“When I look at my son, I think about how much more he has to live, and I think quality of life is the only thing that comes first. If he’s not here, he can’t sing,” she said.
“I’m six months post-op. Tomorrow is my last appointment for everything,” Long continued. “(I’m) asymptomatic, I don’t have any infections or anything. And I also had to have voice surgery, so I’ll have my voice tested in August.”
Ms Long said she was feeling “amazing” and advised others in similar situations to take care of themselves.
“If anyone’s watching this, I think a big part of my trauma comes from holding it all up and trying to shoulder other people’s problems and always being the strong friend and the person that holds it all together,” she said. “I should have spoken up for myself, but I didn’t. Don’t put yourself off thinking about other people. You need to focus on yourself. Don’t be afraid to say no. Take a break if you need to.”
“I faced my own mortality and thought, ‘Have I really done what I should have done for myself? Did I really give to myself as much as I give to others?’ And the answer was no,” Long added. “So I’m definitely going to be a little more selfish this time. I’m going to take care of myself first so I can take care of everyone else.”
