1990s pop-star Amy Grant is just four years out from sustaining a traumatic brain injury. In a conversation with NPR's Wild Card with Rachel Martin on Thursday, April 30, the 65-year-old revealed the advice her longtime husband, Vince Gill, 69, gave her as she set off on her recovery.
"I just remember in the fall of 2022 when my world was very quiet. I just remember saying to Vince, 'What if this is all I get back? What if this is it?" Because, to me, it's like the world is in a conversation, and I am down the hall and in a back bedroom. This is like my response time," Amy remembered.
Amy and Vince, who is also a singer, married in 2000 after meeting on Vince's television special years prior. The couple have been each other's rocks ever since. After experiencing a traumatic brain injury, Vince put things into perspective for Amy.
© Getty Images"[Vince] just said, 'Amy, life happens to every one of us every day. A virtuoso musician could have a stroke and never be able to pick up their instrument again. All you do is you just take the hand you're dealt that day and live the life that you get,'" she explained.
Inside Amy Grant's heartbreaking health battles
Starting in 2020, Amy has experienced a myriad of health issues. When she was 59, the singer underwent open-heart surgery to correct a rare congenital heart defect called Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (PAPVR), which caused blood to flow to her lungs instead of the rest of her body.
© Getty ImagesTwo years later, in July 2022, Amy suffered a traumatic brain injury after crashing her bicycle in Nashville. She hit a pothole and was knocked unconscious for almost 15 minutes. The accident was devastating for Amy, lasting in memory loss, balance issues, and even with her having to re-learn how to sing.
Just months after her bike accident, Amy underwent another surgery. This time, it was a five-hour surgery to remove a cyst from her throat that was impacted by her accident. The cyst went into hypergrowth and needed to be removed.
© Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMAIn addition to her accident, open-heart surgery, and throat surgery, Amy underwent shoulder surgery.
In 2024, Amy opened up to E! News about her brain injury, saying: "I still have issues with my short-term memory. My balance is still weird. I made a joke about it last night. You know, sometimes I walk around like I'm drunk and I just have to laugh about all of it."
© WireImageBut through it all, Amy has Vince by her side. She told People in 2024: "Vince is just steady. I don't know all the ways I lean on him. I'm not even aware of it because it's second nature."
"He said, 'Things happen to people every day, and you just have to take one day at a time, and we're here, and I love you.'" she added. "And that just kind of made every day of the journey okay."
