People say your life flashes before your eyes, but, for me, it was mainly my regrets. All the times I wasn’t there when I should have been, like the sonogram of my daughter.”May was diagnosed with double pneumonia and multiple pulmonary embolisms in late October 2011.
Doctors estimated that he had as many as 20 blood clots in his lungs.Hooked up to machines to help him breathe and unable to speak, May wrote letters to his loved ones. He wrote to his children, just 3 and 4 years old, about what it meant to be a strong woman and a strong man.
He wrote a letter of apology to his wife for not taking better care of himself, and he compiled a long list of thank-you’s he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to express in person.But May, 40, didn’t give up, he fought through what doctors referred to as a severe pulmonary event and after nine days in the hospital was released. But while he is back touring, and will bring his show to the Victoria Theater in Dayton on Tuesday , the event has forever changed the comedian who was voted one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch.”
Rest and relaxation
When May first noticed symptoms, he thought it was a chest cold. After 57 consecutive days on the road and taping his fourth one-hour special for Comedy Central, the comedian wasn’t surprised that he was a bit rundown.But when his condition worsened, he went to an urgent-care clinic in Tampa and was diagnosed with walking pneumonia.
He was prescribed antibiotics and told to rest. Already booked on a cruise, he thought it would be the perfect place to relax.But May’s condition went from bad to worse.
A few days into the cruise, he couldn’t leave his cabin and could barely catch his breath. He spent the remainder of the cruise in the infirmary on oxygen and receiving intravenous antibiotics. The ship’s doctor would have had May air-lifted from the vessel had there not been a hurricane between them and Tampa.Eight months later, May continues to recover.
“They told me it would take a year to 18 months to fully recover,” he said The workaholic comedian did not perform from late October until New Year’s Eve and has only recently increased his touring schedule.“It’s hard for me, honestly, to do nothing,” he said. “It’s hard for me to relax, slow down and let myself heal, but I know it’s what I have to do.”
Life changes
The 400-plus pound comic has lost close to 30 pounds since his hospitalization as a result of increased exercise and a healthier diet. A former marijuana smoker, May has kicked the habit, but is on an extensive daily medication regimen — 14 pills a day — to combat a variety of medical conditions.
"It’s the first time I’m hauling drugs in my backpack that aren’t illegal,” he said, smiling. “It was so hard stopping marijuana, but my lungs can’t take it, and I’ve got my babies to think about.”May also bought a bus to use when touring.
“When you fly, you’re more susceptible to blood clots,” he said.Beyond his pulmonary issues, May is working with Dr. Louis Aronne, clinical professor of medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and director of the New York Presbyterian Hospital Comprehensive Weight Control Program.
Arrone is studying the comedian, who is a bit of a medical anomaly.“My cholesterol numbers are good, I don’t have high blood sugar, they did a scan of my heart and it’s perfect,” May said. “I’m a strange fat guy. It’s like my body doesn’t know it’s fat.”
Hugs and happiness
“I’m loving the moments more, especially with my children,” May said.
“I’m hugging them harder.”May’s priorities have changed. He frequently drops off the kids at preschool and is there to pick them up.“I know I can’t squander my time,” he said.
“In an effort to be the best comedian I could be, I wasn’t always the best man or father I could be. It’s a different me, which is probably a good thing. I have such a rich life, and I’m so lucky, I can’t waste it.”Longtime fans might notice that his act has changed a bit as a result of his recent health ordeal.
“My whole goal used to be to make people laugh. Now, I want them to laugh and think.”
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