After cancelling a set at 2019’s Essence Fest in New Orleans, August Alsina recently shared in an Instagram video on why he was absent. In turns out, he’s been hospitalized for briefly losing his ability to walk.
“I woke up one day and wasn’t able to walk. Couldn’t feel my legs. My doctor ended up admitting me to the hospital to do a bunch of tests and he said that I have some nerve damage going on throughout my whole body that I have to undergo a recovery process for,” he said. “I don’t know it’s like my immunity system just went on vacation. So just waiting on it to come on back so we can get together and make it do what it do man.”
The 26-year-old “Testify” singer has been open in the past about his health issues. During a talk with Jada Pinkett-Smith in 2017, he revealed his battle with liver disease and how he is constantly sick behind the scenes.
“I have a liver disease,” he said. “My autoimmune system is fighting itself. The reality is that I’m sick all the time. “I don’t really like to talk about it because I’m not looking for anybody’s sympathy… Don’t treat me like I’m a f*ckin’ cancer patient — because I’m not.”
In another conversation with Pinkett-Smith on her Red Table Talk show, he spoke about his past troubles with prescription drugs and how he grew up seeing his step-father suffer from drug addiction as well.
“My step-father was addicted to crack, my father was addicted to crack and alcohol, so my introduction to drugs was that,” he said. “And seeing my step-father pawn the whole house for some drugs, pawn the car, whatever, and my idea of an addiction was that. I would see him sweating, shaking, and really having to get his life back, and I went through that experience thinking I had it under control.”
