Ex-Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile has resurfaced after undergoing emergency spinal surgery to make an emotional speech about his struggles with Marfan Syndrome.
If you need a quick recap, the metalcore legend quit the band last year, partly because of his potentially life-threatening health struggles, and has since detailed the intensive three-months’ worth of spinal treatments he needs to undergo before he can (hopefully) recover and return to music.
Now, he’s made a rare public appearance to speak about his experiences. Standing up before the Marfan Foundation, Carlile tearfully unfolded his story.
“I used to sing in a rock & roll group called Of Mice & Men, like the book. I have Marfan Syndrome. About eight months ago I had to quit rock music because of Marfan Syndrome,” he said.
“I got home from a tour one time. I couldn’t perform anymore,” he continued. “I had three dural tears in my spine. My spinal fluid was leaking. I went to two or three different doctors and was turned away. I had a doctor call me a liar.”
Back in April, Carlile shared the intense details of his intensive three-month spinal treatment with fans, and promised that he’d be returning to music in the American summer.
Fingers crossed all goes well with his rehab and we’ll be seeing him back on stage again soon!
It’s unlikely that we’ll see him retake the reigns as frontman for OM&M though. Carlile recently revealed that his dodgy health wasn’t the only reason for his split with the band, claiming that his now ex-bandmates wouldn’t let him write what he wanted to write on their next record.
Watch footage of his emotional speech to the Marfan Foundation below.
