Sinbad Learning to Walk Again 2 Years After Stroke: Details

A true fighter. Sinbad is on the road to recovery after suffering from an ischemic stroke in October 2020. 

On Monday, November 21, the 66-year-old’s family took to social media to share a photo of the comedian re-learning to walk in physical therapy while providing an update on his recovery journey. 

“Sinbad appreciates all the love and support you have shown him over the last two years,” they wrote via Instagram at the time. “Many of you have asked for updates and if there is anything Sinbad needs or what you can do to help. As a result, the family has created a site where you can keep up to date with his progress and also provide an avenue for those who wish to give.” 

They concluded the post by saying, “Stay funky, stay blessed,” and providing a link for fans who wish to help out with medical expenses. 

The donation website revealed that the Atlanta alum’s health crisis began when “a blood clot that traveled from his heart to his brain.” After being rushed to the hospital, the doctors “performed a thrombectomy to remove the clot and restore normal blood flow to the brain.”

While the Jingle All the Way star had some “weakness” after the procedure, the “prognosis looked promising” until “another blood clot formed” and he had to endure the same surgery one day later. 

Sinbad’s brain then started to swell, forcing him to receive a “craniotomy to relieve the pressure.” During the surgery, a “bleed” was discovered and he was put in a “medically induced coma” and “placed on a ventilator.” 

“It would be weeks before he would open his eyes, speak, or show signs of basic mobility,” the statement read. “It wasn’t long before we realized he couldn’t move his left side or simply hold his head up. The more time passed the more the family learned how much had been lost.”

Nine months after his initial stroke, the Cosby Show alum returned home after being “weaned off the ventilator” and has since undergone a “remarkable” recovery. 

“Limbs that were said to be ‘dead’ are coming alive and he’s taking the steps necessary to learn to walk again,” the site explained, noting that while survival odds “from this type of event are approximately 30%,” Sinbad has “already beaten the odds and has made significant progress beyond what anyone expected.”

The website also shared a word from the Michigan native himself: “Thank God for everything He’s given you, even if it’s not everything you asked for. Thank God for family and hug the ones you love while you’re still with them. We need each other to get through this journey. I can’t wait to see you all again soon. As always, stay funky, stay prayed up.”

Sinbad tied the knot with Meredith Fuller in 1985. While the couple initially divorced in 1996, they rekindled their romance in 2002 and share two children: son Royce and daughter Paige. 

During a 2018 radio interview, the Planes actor revealed the unconventional key to keeping his marriage afloat.

“I need my own place,” he said at the time. “When we got back together, I kept my house. The reason I think we were able to get back together  [is that] I kept my house for five years. … I have my drums there, my musical instruments there. All the stuff that women hate.”