“I almost died,” said the former star of the TV classic “Father Knows Best” as he recounted his life-threatening journey of these last two months.
A fanatic of exercise and healthy eating, Billy Gray, whose only food vice was Haagen-Dazs ice cream ,the former speedway star was unaccustomed to being tired and fatigued, and he shrugged it off to being 76 years old. Still, deep in his gut, he knew something was not right.
Then the pain came. At first it was bearable and would soon go away. But each time, the pain got more intense and lasted longer. On the third of January, the option of trying to ignore the pain ended with a 911 call and a trip to an emergency room in Santa Monica.
It was a heart attack, and it was serious. Gray was close to death. The doctors immediately inserted a stent to get the blood flowing – but that was only a stopgap measure. Gray was then moved to the UCLA Medical Center, where doctors performed quadruple bypass surgery.
The operation went well, and 22 days later, though still weak and frail, he was discharged from the hospital.
Once home, Billy did not get better. Down to 108 pounds, he could not walk more than a few feet and he was having a difficult time breathing. Three days later, he was back in intensive care. Fluid buildup around the lungs was the culprit, and doctors drained almost a gallon of liquid from his chest cavity.
Now back home, Billy says he is well on the way to recovering. Although he is still weak, he is walking, and he is almost able to breath properly.
When asked what he had to say about this experience, the former number 99 was blunt.
“If it happened to me, it can happen to you, so don’t be stupid like I was,” Gray replied. “If you have no energy, see your doctor. If he says there is nothing wrong, see another doctor. Your body will tell you when something’s not right. All you have to do is listen.”