Christopher “Kid” Reid, half of the hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play, is revealing he underwent a heart transplant, speaking about his health condition for the first time on Good Morning America.
The rapper, who first gained fame in the 1980s and 1990s alongside collaborator Christopher “Play” Martin, spoke with GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan in a segment airing Thursday, sharing he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure after an emergency room visit last July.
Reid said initially, he began experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath, which he said he attributed to getting older.
“I think sometimes you kinda just chalk it up to, you know, ‘I’m gettin’ older,’ you know, ‘The road is harsh,"” he said.
Eventually, when his symptoms intensified last summer, Reid said he visited an emergency room, where he received his diagnosis.
Reid said he was first given medication to treat the condition, but at a three-week follow-up appointment, his cardiologist grew concerned.
“He came in very swollen again, and that is a little unusual in somebody who’s been started on treatment, for the swelling to come back that quickly,” Erika Jones, Reid’s cardiologist, told GMA.
That evening, instead of flying across the country for a performance as Reid had planned, Jones urged him to stay put and ran additional bloodwork.
“The blood work confirmed my suspicion. It showed that his heart was failing, and it was starting to affect his other organs,” Jones said.
Reid said he received a call a few hours after his appointment, urging him to go to the emergency room, where he was rushed to the ICU.
Reid was told by doctors that a heart transplant would be his only option, and he was placed on a transplant waitlist.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Laura Dichiacchio, one of Reid’s doctors, told GMA that Reid was placed on the transplant waiting list because it was “a kind of life or death situation.”
Dichiacchio described Reid as “warm” and “incredibly calm.”
Reid said eight days after being placed on the transplant waitlist, he received a call with the welcome news that he would get a new heart the following evening. Reid said he arrived for the surgery, and seven hours later, he had a new heart.
Reid said he plans to cherish his second chance at life, saying, “This thing is … a beautiful life. It’s great. And, you know, I wanna be around for it.”
He added that he hoped to inspire others, particularly people of color, to put their health first and seek medical attention when things don’t feel right.
“A lot of times, we don’t go because we don’t want the bad news, or we too busy just hustlin’, trying to make it from day to day,” he said. “And we … feel like we don’t got time, or we’ll get over it. Well, you might not.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S., about 6.7 million adults aged 20 or older have heart failure, a condition that happens “when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs in your body.”
The CDC cites hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease as common risk factors for the disease.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, heart failure is a serious condition that requires medical care. Treatment can include heart-healthy lifestyle changes, such as lower sodium intake, regular physical activity, and limited alcohol consumption, as well as medication, devices such as a pacemaker, and heart surgery or transplant.
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