When we saw his pictures two years ago, singer Al B. Sure! had just emerged from a 38-day coma. He was seriously ill, and we were all concerned. Last night, he took the stage to receive the American Liver Foundation’s Transplant Trailblazer Award. He is now the founder and Executive Chairman of The Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition. One of the things his organization champions is expanding coverage for critical, non-invasive blood tests that detect early signs of organ rejection without biopsies.
The “Secret Garden” crooner gave us some critical details. “I was in a coma on a ventilator for 38 days. I was intubated septic and had multi-system organ failure, and simultaneously undergoing such a massive life-saving surgery, a liver transplant by Dr Constance M. Mobley and assisted by Dr. Mark Joseph Hobeika, associate professor of surgery,” he explained. After his surgery, he became a transplant advocate and invited the audience to become one of his New Jack Warriors.
The singer first credits his comeback from medical crisis to his mother, who never left his side despite the medical challenges she was facing at the time. She is currently in palliative care and watched her son’s speech from Houston.
Another champion is his co-founder, Rachel Noerdlinger. Who encouraged him to return to work as soon as possible by doing voiceover work. She then challenged him further. “Get up and fight for other transplant patients who may not have equal access to [the] quality health care that I do because of their economics or the color of their skin,” he said. “Health Care Systems [are] filled with systemic racism against Black, Brown, underprivileged and underserved communities, and that means people from all walks of life…”
He credited the Reverend Al Sharpton, who is the organization’s Senior Advisor, ” with converting Al B. Sure from the writer singing love song anthems like “Night and Day,” “Secret Garden.” to a civil rights and healthcare equity [advocate].”
Sure! is motivated by the stats, not money, unless he is fundraising. “50,000 people will die each year because they desperately need a liver. Many of them are people like myself, people of African descent, people who come from humble beginnings, people whose lives are shaped by circumstances outside their control,” he says. I stand firm in the gap and am committed to helping change the flawed system. We need a national, international approach to liver transplantation that ensures no one is left behind, kind of like Ohana.”
The singer-turned-advocate is working on exciting initiatives, including an organ donor database for Black and Brown people that utilizes DNA structure. He is also working with the Council on Black Health.
Two years ago, Al B. Sure! wasn’t sure he would ever be on another stage. “But 24 months later, I am filled with gratitude and the energy we keep pushing forward. The massive weight of what this award means is real to me because I understand the responsibility it represents,” he said. “The road ahead will be difficult, but I am hopeful that we can create a future where liver transplants are available to everyone who is desperately in need of one.”
Toward the end of his speech, Sure! He thanked the person who helped organize the 15 medications he has to take daily, which made the call-and-response he had the audience repeat early in the speech all the more powerful.
“The work we all do will make a difference in those who come after us. Health, to me, is the new Wealth. Can everybody say [to me] that Health is the new Wealth!”