Lamar Odom changes his ways after death scare
October 14, 2015
On Tuesday Oct. 13, former Lakers NBA star Lamar Odom was rushed unconscious to a Las Vegas hospital.
He was found lying motionless in a Nevada brothel. What started as a struggle for life has shifted to a hopeful future for Odom, who is now functioning on his own.
The relapse came after a drug overdose caused him to pass out. Brothel employees informed authorities that Odom used large sums of cocaine prior to being found on the bed.
According to CNN, “a woman said she also saw Odom take 10 herbal supplement tablets over three days.”
This comes as no surprise for the ex- NBA star who struggled in the past with drug use. His troubled past dates back to all the way to 2001, where he violated the NBA drug policy twice.
In 2013, drug use became personal when Khloe Kardashian cited it as the reason she filed for divorce. It was reported that Odom used crack and overdosed on prescription drugs.
I don’t view him through the prism of choices that he’s made, I view him through the heart and soul of the person that he really is
This time, however, seemed more severe than ever before. Odom was in a coma for over 72 hours and suffered to the extent where he was ”fighting for his life,” according to ESPN.
It is known that Odom’s best friend Jamie Sangouthai died from a drug overdose earlier in 2015. However, the exact cause for the incident remains unknown.
Khloe Kardashian, Odom’s wife, was bedside with Odom’s throughout the entire process. She filed for divorced in 2013, but called it off on Oct. 21, 2015.
“This week has been incredibly difficult,” Kardashian said. “You can never be prepared for an experience like this, but without the outpouring of love and endless prayers that Lamar has received and the strength I was given from loved ones, it would have been difficult to endure.”
Odom has received prayers and hopeful messages from a slew of past teammates, including Lakers Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, and Knicks head coach Derek Fisher.
“I don’t view him through the prism of choices that he’s made, I view him through the heart and soul of the person that he really is,” Fisher said.
Ex-Teammate Kobe Bryant visited Odom in the hospital.
Following almost four days with no response, Odom awoke from his coma on Oct. 16.
Odom reportedly said hello to Kardashian, used hand signals, and began to breath without a ventilator, E News reported. He also passed a swallow test and was moved out of the hospital bed with assistance.
Dennis Hof, the brothel owner, told reporters that Odom was having the time of the life, and acknowledged Odom’s use of herbal viagra and consumption of a bottle of cognac. He had no knowledge of illegal drugs.
“It’s incredibly sad,” Hof said. However he is adamant that Odom’s $75,000 tab be paid in full, even threatening to sue the Kardashian/Odom couple.
“The girls want to get paid, and I want to get paid,” Hof said.
Regardless if legal action gets taken for the $75,000 tab, Odom’s condition will remain in the hearts of people across the world.