Bret Michaels unveils treatment room at Phoenix hospital
Oct 9, 2012, 4:53 PM | Updated: 4:54 pm
Rock star Bret Michaels officially unveiled the Bret Michaels’ Hospitality and Music Room for patients’ families inside St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute during a Tuesday ceremony.
Michaels, who was once a patient at St. Joe’s after suffering a massive stroke, thought families of the sick need to find a place to find comfort and relaxation.
“I was in ICU for 12 days,” the former Poison front man said. “Once you get about the sixth, seventh day in and you’re still in ICU, you know, I have two daughters, Kristy and the kids, they didn’t know where to go, and they’re trying to find a place. So hopefully, this lets people find a place to sit and take their brain off of it for a while.”
It took a year of planning and preparation, but the room is now open for families to enjoy. It’s located near patients’ rooms and decorated with a music theme and features many pieces of the rocker’s personal music memorabilia.
Meanwhile, Michaels said he’s about 95 percent back to normal after suffering the stroke back in 2010. It was a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of stroke that causes bleeding in the fluid-filled spaces around the base of the brain.
Michaels returned to St. Joseph’s in 2011 to undergo a heart procedure to close a hole in his heart. Since his treatment in Phoenix, Michaels has enjoyed successful national concert tours.
“I still go through therapy to get a few things fixed, but I feel so blessed to be alive that the rest is icing on the cake. I feel great,” he said.
