Matthew Sweet says he ‘may never play guitar again’ after stroke

Nearly two months after he suffered a stroke while on tour in Toronto, alternative rock singer and songwriter Matthew Sweet has given fans an update on his current condition.

Sweet’s longtime manager, Russell Carter, confirmed the news of Sweet’s condition in an Oct. 22 statement, noting that the musician faces “a long and difficult road to recovery” that will require weeks of around-the-clock care. Then came months of rehabilitation.

“Matthew remains highly focused and tenacious in all of his endeavors, not just in his recording career but in all of his artistic and intellectual pursuits,” Carter shared.

“I believe his trademark determination will serve him well as he now focuses on getting back to fitness.”

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to cover Sweet’s medical expenses after he suffered his stroke. The initial goal was set at $250,000, and so far, more than 8,700 donations have been made, totaling more than $500,000 raised, and the goal has been updated to $750,000.

Sweet himself shared an update via a GoFundMe page on Saturday, December 7, recalling his stroke and expressing his gratitude to all the donors so far.

“I was colder than ever, with icy sweat pouring out of every pore,” Sweet recalled. “Then I heard a deafening white noise blasting through my ears, getting louder and louder, and my eyes started rolling like eggs in a pan.

“‘Call me an ambulance,’ I yelled to Evan, who had just checked into a hotel in Toronto, ten hours outside of Baltimore. Then I got in the ambulance and heard a man yell, ‘Sir, you’re having a stroke. . “I didn’t know what it meant. Like most of my life, it seemed unreal.

Sweet recalled in the post that he spent ten days in Toronto before being allowed to fly back to the United States to continue treatment. “The only way they could get me back to the United States was to fly with medical staff and go directly into a rehabilitation hospital,” he wrote. “The cost of all this stuff is already astronomical. What are humans doing? Don’t let these things become part of our culture.

Sweet, who received further care at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Omaha, Neb., said he not only learned the importance of the nursing staff and those who work in such a facility, but early in his discharge from the hospital, he also received Madonna Spirit Award.

Most notably, Sweet also took the time to think about his future as a creative person and recognized that his condition had left him open to many changes in the future, but he had an abiding interest in continuing to create. .

“I went through the day when I realized I might never play guitar again, I went through the day when I realized I might never again draw a straight line or enjoy the pastime I developed in the last year of my life, with a pen. Drawing, coloring with dip pens and ink,” he explains.

“I now understand what it means to reinvent yourself. When the self you used to know disappears, you have no choice, either give up or keep going. So I feel that I have to keep going. I feel a great burden on me. I’ve only been able to do this because of the incredible support you’ve given me, many of whom I don’t even know. I have to say thank you for the help you’ve given me.

“I can’t see myself having that hope,” Sweet concluded. “I’m going to try to make music. I’m going to try my best. I’m going to try to make art. I’m going to try to express myself because that’s all I know and that’s what brings me joy and has filled it more than anyone else in my life. Grief we all know how to deal with, grief more than any of us know how to deal with, that’s life. May you all find a glimmer of hope, love, and a future today, and strive for the same way you helped me find it, each and every one of you.