TEXAS, USA – The Senior Pastor of the Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, T.D. Jakes, has shared his harrowing experience of suffering a life-threatening medical emergency during a church service last year.
Reports indicate that the 67-year-old was delivering a sermon in November when he suddenly paused, began shaking, and lowered his microphone. The unexpected episode caused panic among the congregation before church officials quickly escorted him off the stage.
In an interview with American broadcaster Craig Melvin on the TODAY show, Jakes revealed that he had suffered a massive heart attack.
Surprisingly, he experienced none of the usual warning signs associated with cardiac arrest. However, doctors later informed him that he had been preaching with only half of his heart functioning.
“I didn’t really understand what was happening to me onstage until I was in the ambulance, heading to the hospital,” Jakes recounted. “I was upset that it happened in front of everyone, and then the doctor leaned over and said, ‘You had a massive heart attack.’
“I had none of the typical symptoms—no numbness, no sharp pain, nothing. I just drifted off as if I was falling asleep. I had no idea how serious it was, but I almost died.”
According to the doctor, Jakes was just five minutes away from being dead on arrival.
“The right side of my heart had completely stopped receiving blood,” he explained. “While I was preaching, I felt fine, but the moment I sat down and my adrenaline dropped, it became evident that I had been preaching with half of my heart blocked by a clot. They had to rush to clear it.”
