“Hercules” hunk Kevin Sorbo may have been
the epitome of muscle-bound masculinity during the run of his popular
superhero show in the 1990s, but now Sorbo reveals that he had suffered
from a series of debilitating strokes during the filming of the
successful series.
“I had several doctors on my publicity tour check me out, but they didn’t believe it was anything serious,” Sorbo explained to
Neurology Now of
the aching and tingling he felt in his left arm and hand during a
promotional tour in 1997. “I even had what seemed like a rational
explanation, having recently injured my ulnar nerve—the funny bone.”
Convinced that the symptoms were benign,
Sorbo continued his rigorous workout schedule until he felt a shooting
pain down his left shoulder. He went to see his chiropractor later that
day.
“After an examination, he told me I had a
lot of tightness in my neck and shoulder,” Sorbo said. “Then he cracked
my neck, which he had never done before, saying he felt the manipulation
would help alleviate some of the tension.”
Driving home from the chiropractor, Sorbo
experienced blurry vision, dizziness and buzzing in his head – the
classic signs of a stroke.
The next morning, Sorbo was rushed to the
hospital by his fiancee, who was terrified when he woke up, slurring his
speech and barely able to walk. It turns out the actor had suffered
from an aneurysm.
“Apparently, the aneurysm had been producing
blood clots for some time,” said Sorbo. “I had blockages all down my
arm that were making my fingers cold, tingly, and numb.”
Weeks later, Sorbo returned to the set of
“Hercules,” but continued to suffer from vision problems and fatigue.
Producers, not wanting to hurt their popular franchise, went to great
lengths to conceal the severity of Sorbo’s condition, including bringing
on a series of guest stars and hastily rewriting scripts.
“I felt like I had been transformed
overnight from a youthful, carefree jock into someone who needed to
grasp the backs of chairs and counters for an arduous five-yard trip to
the bathroom,” Sorbo said.
Sorbo endured years of physical therapy, and
was often discouraged by his slow progress. “I went through two years
of hell before I began to feel like myself again,” Sorbo says. “I was
depressed and frustrated and had a bad attitude.”
Kevin
Sorbo recently starred in the inspirational film "Soul Surfer" about a
girl who lost her arm surfing, then came back to be a world champion.
The depression was debilitating for Sorbo,
and he found that he was sensitive to the side effects of various
anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication. Finally, Sorbo found relief
through a combination of psychotherapy and acupuncture.
“As a result of working with an
acupuncturist, I improved dramatically,” Sorbo says. “My headaches and
dizziness were less severe and more manageable as well.”
Today, Sorbo has returned to an active
lifestyle. He also wrote a book chronicling his ordeal, “True Strength:
My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal and How Nearly Dying Saved My
Life.”
Sorbo credits his wife, Sam Jenkins, who
stood by him throughout his experience and his strong religious faith
for his hard-fought recovery.
“My illness made me special in a way that I
never wanted nor expected,” Sorbo explained. “I’m not Hercules; I’m a
mere mortal with human limitations and problems. But I am determined to
not behave like a victim anymore.”
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