Muni Long says doctors gave her one week to live before a double lung transplant saved her life.
The Grammy-winning singer opened up Tuesday on Good Morning America, telling Robin Roberts that she became seriously ill while touring with Brandy and Monica on The Boy Is Mine Tour. Long, who has lupus, said she was diagnosed with pneumonia on the road and kept pushing herself anyway.
“I should have never taken that tour, but there was so much going on in my life where I had to do it,” she said.
The “Made for Me” singer said she tried to rest for a few dates before returning to the stage, but her body was failing her. “I couldn’t even get out of the bed to make my call time for stage,” she recalled. “The last show, I just barely made it. I was only able to do two songs.”
After coming home for Thanksgiving, Long said she “woke up in a hospital.” Doctors told her she needed new lungs.
“I said, ‘How long do I have to live?’ And they go, ‘A week.’ My jaw dropped,” she remembered. “Literally, I was like, ‘That’s rude.’”
Six months after surgery, Long said she feels “fabulous” and has “no symptoms” or infections.