DAYS’s Greg Vaughan Gives An Important PSA After Health Crisis

Greg Vaughan faced a health crisis recently when he took his sons on an excursion to the high altitudes of Colorado. The Daytime Emmy-winner, who plays Eric on Days of our Lives, took ill and his situation worsened before it got better. Now, he’s got a message he wants to deliver.

On the Mend

As previously reported, Vaughan became sick while on spring break with his teenage boys in Colorado. He’d planned on doing some physical activities with his active sons, but he felt under the weather. Next, the actor took a trip to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a very serious illness.

Now, he’s on the mend and is sending out a message of thanks to everyone who was concerned about his welfare. “I just felt so much appreciation and gratitude for everything [and for people] reaching out,” he said in a social media video. “Your prayers have been felt. It’s been a struggle but I’m over [the worst].”

Vaughan shared that he thought he could handle not feeling well without seeking medical aid but he realizes now he should have. “It wasn’t because I’m stubborn — or a father, man, and didn’t want to go to a doctor,” he says. “It’s something I thought was so minor that I could overcome it by taking care of it myself.”

Vaughan is not only reaching out not to give thanks to his supporters but also to educate others visiting Colorado or other high-altitude places so that they can recognize when they have developed HAPE and seek immediate attention. He says that some pals, including doctor friends, filled him in on exactly what occurred.

The good news is that the actor has been resting and taking care of himself. Staying put isn’t easy for the active dad, who works out regularly by doing activities like boxing. “I have three teenage boys,” Vaughan says. “I’m trying to stay as young as I can. I couldn’t quite figure out [what was wrong with me].”

Before Vaughan could fully figure it out, the high altitude had gotten to him. His lungs had filled up with fluid. “It’s no joke,” he says of the effects being a high altitude can have on a person. “I guess that’s why they call [Denver] the Mile High City. Anything about 2000 feet can definitely affect a person’s breathing ability.”

Soap pals including Robert Scott Wilson, who plays Alexander (check out our interview with him celebrating 10 years on DAYS here), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, The Young and the Restless), and Jason Shane Scott (ex-Will, One Life to Live) all weighed in with supportive posts and messages.

“I love you all and appreciate you,” he adds of the heartfelt concern that he felt from everyone. Vaughan didn’t want to take folks away from their St. Patrick’s Day festivities but he wants his followers to know he’s okay. “Be safe out there. Have fun. There’s nothing that’s going to hold me down,” the actor says. “God Bless. Be well. Thank you again and again and again. I feel loved and touched. I’ll take better care of myself. You do the same.”