Kelsey Grammer wasn’t ready to die | Forward Progress

0:00As we wrap up the week, we're bringing you one of the many positive messages from our past interviews. Each Thursday, we're sharing stories of our most watched athletes, celebrities and leaders. We hope these problem solving narratives inspire you to tackle obstacles in your own life. This week, Kelsey Grammer.

0:23May 31st, 2008, the heart attack. Right. Take me through what happened from the moment you first started feeling bad. Well, this is kind of an athletic story. I was to stand up paddling that day. We did a couple of miles. Went down to a little beach just south of where there was a home that I owned.

0:50And they did this thing as well. you know you go pick up a big rock off the bottom of the sea floor and walk with it for a while underwater hold your breath so i did that about five or six times and then we got back on the boards and paddled back up and uh that's when i felt a little dizzy and and um stepped onto the beach and and i thought i would better just sit down then i threw up and uh that's a little funny and i said well let's go and get some food so that's when i stood up and that's when i felt the crushing uh pressure in my chest and uh and what are you thinking at the time well i started thinking i guess maybe that's a heart attack and uh so i sat down i tried to breathe deeply and it felt really really painful i waited for an hour and a half before the emergency guys got there it was too bad because it's hawaii the big island of hawaii and getting an ambulance there is tough I think maybe they've gotten a helicopter by now for such situations.

1:50But so a lot of, not a, some damage was done to my heart during that time. Finally, they gave me what, when I finally got to the emergency room, they gave me what they call the clot buster. And that was one of the interesting experiences. They said, well, you've got some sort of clot. Something's obstructing the flow of blood through your heart. and they said, there are side effects. And I said, what are those? And she said, well, death. I said, okay, thank you. Go, do it. And so they did it, and then they pop you, and they bring you back. So I was breathing on my own after the second pop, and everything sort of back on track.

2:34When was the point in which you weren't present anymore? It was very brief. You know, there was a brief moment when I said, just before the shot, I sort of said to the gods that be or whatever, or the lesser angels, whatever. I said, don't show me anything. I don't want to see a thing. I'm not interested in any tunnels or any light. I have things I have to do here still. And I'll digress for a second. I'd gotten to the point in my marriage at that time, the unhappiness was so profound that I actually started to think the only way I can solve this for them is to not be here. Really? Yeah. And so I started to believe that the best course for my life was to not be alive and that they'd be happier.

3:18Why would you feel that? Just, you know, look, some people get you to a certain place. That's all I'll say about it. So that in that moment when I said, OK, I take it all back is what I was basically saying to the to the little angels. I was saying, I didn't really mean it. You know what? I know there's something else to live for and I want to get to that. But it wasn't until that moment that you really had that revelation? A profound plea for another shot at this. And I guess they heard me. How much damage ended up getting done to your heart? Well, you know what? I think I've reversed a lot of it by now because I've been working out pretty hard ever since then.

3:58And I've done some things that enhance your blood flow. And I feel pretty strong. That's it for now, but if you're hungry for more in-depth interviews, head over to youtube.com slash Graham Bensinger. You can dive into our deep library, which includes more than 2 ,000 clips spanning 12-plus years. Thanks again for listening.