The 42-year-old performer – real name Donald Glover – has spoken out about his health scare at Camp Flog Gnaw Festival over the weekend
Around 90,000 people survive a stroke every year in the UK – a stark reality that Donald Glover has now also faced. The American performer, famously known as Childish Gambino, has revealed he suffered a major health scare in 2024, which forced him to cancel the remainder of his tour.
While the 42 year old began feeling ill during a gig in New Orleans, Louisiana, last year, he continued performing and decided to head to the hospital afterwards. Here, doctors diagnosed him with a stroke, according to reports.
“I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana and I did the show anyway,” Glover said at the Camp Flog Gnaw Festival in Los Angeles. “I couldn’t really see well, so when we went to Houston, I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke.’ And the first thing I thought was like, ‘Oh, here I am still copying Jamie Foxx.'”
He later added: “They found a hole in my heart. So I had this surgery, and then I had to have another surgery[…] They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realise you have one.”
Generally, a stroke occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain, affecting functions like speech and movement. Strokes are medical emergencies that require urgent assistance as they can have serious or even fatal consequences.
While Glover did not reveal the cause of the hole in his heart or the specific type of stroke he experienced, it is important to be aware of two main stroke types. The first type, known as an ischaemic stroke, accounts for approximately 85% of all stroke cases, according to the Stroke Association.
These occur when a blockage completely halts the brain’s blood supply, damaging brain cells and typically resulting in a variety of distressing symptoms. Specific symptoms vary depending on which part of the brain is affected, but can include paralysis on one side of the face or body, difficulty speaking, and a sudden loss or decline of senses.
Meanwhile, a further 15% of strokes are caused by bleeding within or around the brain, known as haemorrhagic strokes. Although symptoms are very similar to ischaemic incidents, patients are more likely to experience very sudden or severe headaches.
These are often called ‘thunderclap headaches’, which patients frequently describe as the worst pain they have ever felt, similar to being struck on the head. Official advice from the Stroke Association adds: “Many people think that strokes only happen to older people, but stroke can strike anyone, at any time.
“It’s vital to know how to spot the signs of a stroke in yourself or someone else. Use the FAST test to help you recognise the signs. While most people who have a stroke are older, younger people can have strokes too, including children. One in four strokes in the UK happens to people of working age.”
The FAST test, which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time, was created to quickly identify the three most common stroke signs, including:
- Face weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
- Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms fully and maintain the position?
- Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? Is their speech slurred?
- Time to call 999: if you see any one of these signs.
Although stroke symptoms can fade quickly, this doesn’t mean the person is safe. In fact, such temporary symptoms could be a sign of a transient ischemic attack (TIA), often called a ‘mini stroke’, which serves as a potential warning that a major stroke could happen soon.
Guidance from the NHS adds: “Do not drive yourself to A&E. The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice about what to do.”
Other symptoms can appear. The NHS says these can include:
- confusion and memory loss
- finding it difficult to speak or think of words
- weakness or numbness down 1 side of your body
- feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)
- a severe headache
- feeling dizzy or falling over
- blurred vision or loss of sight in 1 or both eyes
