HatchetRadio Network

What is up my friends! Rick O coming back at you guys! I know it has been a while since we talked, maybe a few updates here and there so let me get you guys caught up on "The Skinny". So lately, Rick O has been down and out, he had a serious health issue last summer, Lets not talk in the 3rd person, I had a Type II MI(Heart Attack) at work last June, so the doctors put me on bed rest, and then on the shelf for a year. That meant, no exercise, no s*x, no booze(I quit that 11 years ago thank you very much!), no partying(I'm too old now), and most of all No lifting anything over 25lbs (Which meant I had a helper so I could take a leak).

With that being said a few days ago I got my clean bill of health from the doctors that read with a very heavy statement "Let the F**kery Begin!". But no on a serious note that was probably the scariest s**t I've ever survived. It legit took a village of people to keep me afloat during that time and I wanna thank everyone, Shah, Steven, L-Wright, Sinista1, Laz, Phil, Roo, Hollie, James, Lunatic,DeadBilly, Trey, Adam, everyone who reached out to me and helped out when I asked, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you guys and what everyone pulled together to do to help me out.

For the rest of you, I apologize, but sometimes these matters are kept private, and honestly, I didn't want the entire HatchetRadio Network freaking out because I went down for a freak minute. Now, I know some of you guys are having questions, like what caused it? Honestly, it was work related. It was 130 degrees inside where I was working, and my body just said to hell with this. They docs found NOTHING wrong after MRI's, X-Rays, PET Scans, fi*****ng my doo-doo stank. Even shoving a camera directly into my heart and wiggling it around a little bit, Absolutely NOTHING, Dye tests, Nothing, They for real thought I was in my 30's and athletic.. I'm in my late 40's and Fat.

Does your family have a history of it? Yup. Dad and mothers father, but they had Type I Heart attacks due to blockages(grandfather had deep vein thrombosis(DVT), so just with the two genetic jackhammers on both sides of the family it just looked like ol' Rick O was doomed. But nope.. wasn't that at all. Basically was a warning shot across the bow that came with a 2 week hospital stay and of course me being out on my ass for a year.

How are you holding up now? I'm back to work, new job, new career field. I can't do what I did anymore. For one, the docs want me to give it 3-4 years before I go back into IT or Automotive. The fear if I get electrocuted or I miss a cue, it could happen again, even after a year of rest you're still always gonna be cautious. I had stepped away from IT, and was going into a newer field anyways, so it was kind of one of those things that just was meant to happen, and I had an entire year to make up my mind as to what I'm going to do.

Is this going to affect you ever being able to get back on air?

From the start yes it did. I wasn't allowed to elevate my heart rate too high, and of course getting on the air, and being in character, etc. etc. will always be something that just makes my blood pump and my heart pulse with excitement. Even 2 weeks before my heart attack we did an interview with WWE Legend Ahmed Johnson, and I felt fine after the interview. But for that year I couldn't do anything, couldnt' get involved, couldn't travel more than down the block or to appointments. It was hellish, but now? I'm sure I could easily get back into character, get a little winded doing it, but I think you guys would understand, but I know my limits, I met them head on over the last year, and honesty, kind of changed some things about me and the way that I think.

Are you going to start going live more often?

Thoughts been on my mind, but right now, I'm rebuilding me. Foundationally, fundamentals, and of course financially because a year off with no pay, no medical benefits, NOTHING, really shredded me financially to the point of having to ask for assistance from friends for the first time ever in my life which was a hard pill to swallow but I had to. So from that point it was paying it forward with progress. Getting better. I'm not 100%, the heart attack did some major nerve damage to my right side, so I have some mobility issues as far as being able to lift or push or hold objects for long periods of time, and we dont' know if it's permanent or if it's just a residual affect, but we're working on it for sure, plus I moved to Wisconsin to start over, had the heart attack and now I truly get to... well start over.

Send a message to learn more