Bret Michaels: A Walking Miracle

If anyone would have told me that Donald Trump, the guy who fired people on Celebrity Apprentice, would become president of the United States, I wouldn’t have believed them. I didn’t watch the show because I was a fan of the man with the enormous ego, I watched the show because it was like auditing college-level courses in business management, advertising, marketing, sales, script writing, video editing, production, etc. as 14 well-known, and not-so-well known celebrities competed in various challenging tasks.

Celebrity Apprentice provided a study in human behavior, an intimate glimpse into how people perform under pressure. Some of them effectively stepped into a leadership role and lead their teammates to victory, while others had a hard time making decisions, were afraid to delegate, or simply weren’t team players. It was interesting to see who remained calm, who exploded, who inspired, who withdrew, who broke down, and who quit.

On March 14, 2010, Season 3 of Celebrity Apprentice premiered. I was excited to see Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, and Holly Robinson Peete in action. I knew who some of the other contenders were like former New York Mets and Yankee outfielder, Daryl Strawberry; celebrity chef, Curtis Stone;  and former Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich who was facing federal corruption charges at the time. But I had no idea who the rocker-type guy with the long, blonde hair, bandana, eyeliner and tattoos was.

I learned his name was Bret Michaels, and besides being the front man for a metal band back in the 1980s and early 1990s called Poison, and the star of his own reality show, Rock of Love and after that Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, he was also a Type 1 Diabetic, diagnosed at age six, who was very outspoken about his disease.

On the show, Bret competed and won $250,000 for his favorite charity, the American Diabetes Association.

On April 11, 2010, Bret was getting ready to go on stage in San Antonio, Texas. He’d been suffering all day from stomach pains he attributed to the flu. When he was finally rushed to the hospital, doctors diagnosed it as acute appendicitis, and Bret underwent emergency surgery. He later learned that if he had gone on stage like he wanted to, the appendix would likely have ruptured, and he could have died.

“When you’re not planning on having a body part ripped out of you, it can be a shock to the system,” said Bret. “I’ve spoken to several doctors and they all seem to be impressed with the condition I’ve kept myself in as a juvenile diabetic. But a lot of extra care needs to be taken to make sure my body heals correctly.”

Eleven days later on the night of April 22,  while resting at home in Arizona, Bret felt an explosion like a small handgun go off in the back of his head.

Luckily, Bret realized it was serious, and his girlfriend rushed him to the hospital, where doctors discovered he had a brain hemorrhage. He was admitted to ICU and listed in critical condition.

Bret said he had a talk with God. “I know I’ve done a lot of rotten things, but if you could cut me a break just this time, I promise I’ll be better in the future.”

God must have been listening because Bret pulled through a medical emergency that only about 20% of people survive.

After weeks of rehab, Bret did his first live interview via satellite with Oprah on May 19 and talked about how lucky he was. He may have spoken too soon because the very next day he was back in the hospital after suffering a warning stroke known as a TIA (transient ischemic attack) that can be a precursor to a more serious stroke. Luckily the TIA led the doctors to discover a hole in his heart that was repaired in January 2011.

LIFE LESSON: It’s important to listen to your body. When something feels wrong, get to the emergency room immediately. Even the slightest bit of time can make the difference between life and death.

In this video, Bret appears on one of Oprah’s Master Classes and speaks to an audience about his journey as a Type One Diabetic.

I was thinking who to interview for the November issue of Luxury Las Vegas, and when I learned that November is National Diabetes Month, I thought of Bret Michaels.

In talking with him, I discovered how considerate, caring,  and charming a man he is. We talked for about 45 minutes before he apologized and said he had to cut the interview short.

“I’ll be in Toronto tomorrow. Can we continue the conversation then,” Bret asked.

I don’t know how he keeps the schedule he does, but he looks and sounds great. With all that he’s gone through, Bret is like the Energizer Bunny, who keeps on going and going. I don’t think I could keep up with him even on a good day.

Sure enough, the next day I spent almost an hour talking with “Mr. Keeps His Commitments.”

We talked about the two things that mean the most to him in the world—music and family. He is a devoted father to daughters Raine Elizabeth, born in 2000, and Jorja Bleu, born in 2005.

As it turns out Raine is also a Type 1 diabetic. Bret took the news hard.

In this video Bret sings the song “Raine,” that he wrote for his daughter. You can feel the love and devotion he has for his kids.

LIFE LESSON: It’s important for us all to remember that nothing in life is guaranteed. We should live each day as if it is our last, with appreciation and gratitude for all that we have and all that we are.

Read the full interview Up Close and Personal with Bret Michaels. He is someone who doesn’t let anything keep him down. He is a survivor who comes from strong, blue-collar, Pittsburgh stock and he is passionate about life.