Baseball Legend Darryl Strawberry Speaks Out After Suffering Heart Attack on the Eve of His Birthday
New York Mets icon Darryl Strawberry provided fans with an update on his health after suffering a heart attack on Monday, March 11.
“Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack,” he captioned a post on his Instagram account. “I am so happy and honored to report that all is well. So thankful for the medical team and staff at St. Joseph West in Lake St. Louis for responding so quickly and bringing me through a stent-procedure that has brought my heart to total restoration!!! Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover, in Jesus Name! #savedbyHisgrace”
The post came on the eve of his 62nd birthday, which is on Tuesday, March 12. Well wishes poured in from his former team members, fans and friends alike.
“Wow! Praying for your complete recovery, Darryl!” one comment on the post read, while another said, “Good God … preserved my brother!!! Stay rested and re-energized family! Much love.”
Darryl famously won the World Series with the Mets in 1986, as well as securing two World Series wins with the New York Yankees in 1996 and 1999. In January, it was announced that his jersey number, along with Dwight "Doc" Gooden’s jersey number, would be retired by the Mets.
"I hope [the fans] have tremendous joy, the memories of what it was like watching us play because it was a lot of joy playing there, for myself and I'm quite sure for Doc," Darryl said of his fond memories playing for the team.
"When I look back and reflect on it, and I look back at my rookie season and realize how empty Shea Stadium was, and then after that rookie season, it was never empty,” he added. “It was a stadium that was full of fans. The most important thing that I want them to know is we love them."
Since his days playing baseball, the former professional baseball player has opened rehabilitation centers and a ministry in Florida.
"I had to take the uniform off and realize that I wasn't a baseball player anymore, and I needed to go in a different direction and find out about life and find out about who I am and what I can do to make a difference to help so many other people," he said. "Once I went on that journey, I found great joy and great peace in that."