Bam Margera says he was essentially “pronounced dead” after suffering multiple seizures nearly a month ago.
During a recent appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, the former pro skater shed more light on his terrifying hospital stay, in which he “blacked out” for five days. Margera confirmed he was admitted to the ICU after suffering multiple seizures that were reportedly brought on by COVID-19.
“I was basically pronounced dead on Elvis’ birthday, Dec. 8,” Margera told his one-time Jackass co-star. “I did not know that I had gnarly COVID and my body was shutting down. I went into four seizures, and each one lasting 10 to 20 minutes. And on the fourth one I bit my tongue so hard it was nearly fallen off. It got so swollen and puffy it wouldn’t fit in my mouth, and I was drinking the infected blood, which gave me pneumonia, as well.”
The 43-year-old went on to say doctors placed a tube down his throat after his fifth seizure, as he could no longer breathe on his own. Margera, who’s had highly publicized battles with substance abuse, said he was unconscious for most of his stay and had trouble recalling everything that had happened.
“So I woke up five days later thinking I was there for just a couple hours,” he recalled. “They were like, ‘Dude, you’ve been here for nearly a week. We tried to take the tube out, but you weren’t breathing on your own.’ I spent eight days in there.”
On Dec. 9, several outlets reported that Bam had been placed on a ventilator as he battled a severe case of pneumonia, which was further complicated by a COVID-19 infection. Steve-O remembered reading about the hospitalization online, and immediately thought Margera was going to die.
“I’m just thinking, ‘Oh my god. This is it,’” Steve-O said. “This is terrible. My first legitimate thought was, ‘Fucking, Bam better not die. He’s gonna ruin my tour. He’s gonna ruin everything.”
You can check out Margera’s full interview below.
