Spin forward a couple of decades
And you're getting married! Beautiful wedding starts actually in
this hotel and you go back to your house Lake Zurich not far from here and
then a series of revelations happen you You felt a bit weird on your wedding day a
bit tired. I have an old pain which they still haven't found out what it is in my
chest. I think what it is, is, it's a cramp the same one you get from the
fingers, the toes, and the muscle... And then you had a stroke!
Then it was a stroke that came because I actually, why the stroke was, why I don't
know why the stroke was, I think I had overdone something some kind of way but
I went to hospital to find out what this cramping sensation was and they
put me on the table for MRI we called it and they said 'the blood pressure went up'!
And I said oh it's always up, you know because I always had high blood pressure.
And I think that's what caused it because afterward I felt not good after
the treatment, you know they where trying to check me and said I don't see anything except
the blood pressure went up... yeah and after that I wen on the honeymoon
didn't come back after that And we were going to go to another
trip one of those other trips with a group of friends and I woke up and I said
to Erwin, I can't go, I can't talk Erwin called the doctor, he said bring
her in, give her an aspirin and we'll see How scared were you? Not scared at all, I
just wonder why I couldn't talk! I just thought it will come back something...
you know it... So he took me in immediately they took me in and say, it's a mild
stroke from the back of the head and then they took me down in the room and
didn't believe it... I said, hmm a stroke.. Like that They left the room Boum, hit the floor the whole right
side was gone and I thought what have I done? I really have had something
cuz I can't move, it took me really what seemed like an hour to get up cuz
then I learned how to get up, when you when you're down and not holding
on to something so then when I got up I thought well until I learned what
this is this stroke that they say I have obviously I do... And then they started the
therapy of writing with the right hand All of that was gone.... The right
side was gone... the whole right side but the talking was better... in the
morning when I said I get that be that way but then I had to force, will myself
to walk, to make that... to make the leg walk not huh..huh... so then I forced used
all of my willpower... I wanted to get back like I was I didn't believe you
know I thought I was the ultimate person to fix things so they said well how do
you do that: Son't give in to, it will come back. It was a mild stroke, it
wasn't a heavy one... And you were 73 at the time? At the time yes! And did it affect
your singing at all? Obviously, you couldn't speak but once your speech
came back was your voice still there? You know actually, I had
retire, I haven't actually tried to sing since but I'm sure I can 'Ahhh' yes it's still there, I think I can still sing but it does affect this the singing doesn't it? I
would have thought yeah... I would have thought.. Tina, I've never been able to sing... I was gonna ask you.. Can you sing?! No, I think I can sing, the talking is the same
except I think I don't talk quite as quick. Right okay, you can't
sign you say? You can't autograph? Yeah the handwriting became better I can walk
sometimes I feel something on that side you might notice the face is a bit fuller
on that side that's where it has affected mostly this side so the face became
bigger, the handwriting, I corrected all of that so, with a little makeup, you don't
notice the face change... Right! You're supposed to say 'Yes Tina, you're right' You do, you look fantastic! What can I say!? But that's the beginning of this story... That was the beginning of this... so it starts with this high high moment, you're in love with
this man, you couldn't believe this happened to you, you get married, you're
in your early 70s you've stopped showbiz, you've retired, you're about to
enjoy yourself... you have a stroke and then... so then... Then they said, only one of your kidneys is functioning ... So I said, well so what happens? He said if you don't maintain, if you don't do what we recommend, you will probably die. So I
said well, if it's time, you know I felt like I'm in my late 70s my mother died at
84 my sister died at 74, I thought maybe this was my time.... So, he said: No No, we can do something about it he said there's a machine downstairs... I said oh
no! I'm not living on a machine ... Dialysis.. So we went downstairs.. Yes! And there was this machine standing there and I realized that I had to... I would have to
use this machine, if I decided to live and I said oh no I'm not living on a
a machine, that's not a quality of life they said no no no, what it will
do is provide you with the cleanser for the body until we find a kidney for you!
Erwin said to the doctors: Can I give her one of mine? Something similar to
this, I wasn't there... and then he found out that he doesn't need two kidneys so
then he came to me and said Tina you don't have to make this decision now I
can give you one of my kidneys I said you're young I'm already older
it's okay just get used to me not being here... Oh no he didn't want that so
then he talked me into him taking on one his kidney so I said well no I have to talk
to the doctors. And then I talked to them about Erwin and what will happen
to him because he was it was still quite young and I did feel like I was
older and I was already in my seventies so why should I take the kidneys from a
young man and let him finish his life? That's what I felt like
and he said no, my life is fine how it is I'll give you one of my
kidneys (Two People)
