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Keith Whitley’s Son, Jesse, Reveals Newfound Sobriety After Serious Hospitalization: “The Worst Pain Of My Life”
Entering a new chapter after a serious health scare.
Jesse Keith Whitley, son of the country stars Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan, shared on Facebook that he’s making a major life change after a serious health scare. The 38-year-old shared via a Facebook post on December 28th that he’s sober after being hospitalized for over a week.
Whitley shared with fans and followers that he was hospitalized last month and bedridden for days due to the serious amount of pain that he was in. In the comments of the post, he revealed that he has a severe case of pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that can cause pain, vomiting, nausea, and more. The pain that Whitley was in made him realize that he needs to evaluate some of his habits and make some life changes to stay healthy and pain-free.
It’s no secret that his father battled an alcohol addiction, one that was so severe it ultimately took his life in the prime of his iconic country music career. And while Jesse doesn’t say it explicitly, I think we can infer from his statement that alcohol was nearly killing him as well… pancreatitis, in otherwise young and healthy people, is often caused by heavy alcohol use.
His solution: Getting Jesus and getting sober.
“A month ago today, I was in a pretty rough spot health-wise and faith-wise. I asked for a sign to make sure I was doing what I was put here to do and if I was on the right path. That night, I ended up in the emergency room. It was serious. Me being me, on the way, I wanted to get it out of the way so we could throw down for some football and cooking with cold beers and some cocktails. That wasn’t going to be the case; I was literally bedridden for a solid 7, maybe 8 days. I was in the worst pain of my life.
When I tell you that I mean it, I consider myself to have a pretty high pain tolerance; this was the worst thing I have ever experienced. I turned to my faith and prayed that God would give me the strength to best the demon that’s taken so much from me through my life. I said out loud, ‘God help me back on the your road and I will never stray from you again.'”
After this horrifying scare, and pleading for God to help him, Whitley made serious life changes that day to get his life back on track and to be the man that he knows he is.
I wanna thank my brother in Christ, Tweedy, for the scriptures every day and deep talks of God and what he does for us without even seeing it. My wife for taking care of me during my downtime and giving me the strength to get back on my feet and go forth! My kids for loving me at my rock bottom and the motivation to become the best father I can be.”
To end the post, Whitley thanked his mother, Lorrie Morgan, and sister for supporting him through his sobriety journey thus far, although it sounds like they did not know the struggles he was fully going through.
“My mom sister and family who knew but didn’t know the battle I was actually fighting for always loving me. Most importantly and last but not least, My lord and savior Jesus Christ, through you, all things are possible, and the strength from you is a strength unmatched by anything. I give my life to you. Forever.”
While the health scare is beyond terrifying, it was truly a wake-up call for Jesse Keith Whitley, and ultimately led him to make a choice that will keep him healthy and present for his family. Over the years, Jesse has shared how much he hopes to carry on the legacy and name of his father, who tragically died from alcohol poisoning in his early 30s. It was heartbreaking to lose such an incredible talent at such a young age because of his addiction, and Jesse Keith Whitley is ensuring that he doesn’t follow in his father’s footsteps.
It takes a brave man to admit something like this to his fans, and it’s heartwarming to see so many of his followers lift him up in the comments on the post. Good on you, Jesse Keith Whitley. Prayers up.
Before you go check out Jesse covering his father’s tune, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”
