Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Wanda June Hill]

Our friend who has her story in the book, spent quite a bit of time talking with him about his problems health wise. She had specailist training and worked in a medical office as an assistant to a heart specialist. He consulted with her about many things, prescription drugs, side affects, what went with what and what affects on his other conditions. She knew he was having kidney problems, insulin ups and downs, liver trouble from using drugs mainly Dexies and sleeping pills but at that time the medical profession did not know what kind of side affects long term use would have-and considered them safe-I mean the Army doled them out in large amounts...and expected their guys to use them for long tours of duty and in battle as well...to stay alert and to rest when they had a chance. Elvis was not different-he just had an addictive personality and he liked staying up nights, working days and even spending two or three days not sleeping when he was vacationing etc:. He was different in that he was a kid, doing all the things he never got to do because he was too busy working as he grew up. So when he had the chance, he did it all as fast as he could-maybe because deep down somewhere he knew he didn't have that much time-so he used what he had and did everything he ever dreamed about...and more. Anyway, Rochel knows a lot about his health and she isn't one to talk-it was private information-but she said he wanted her to tell him how long he had to live one of the last times he called and of course she didn't have that information-only that it wouldn't be very long if he wasn't very careful and didn't over work himself to the point of making things worse. She was concerned mainly for his heart because he told her where he hurt in the middle of his back and to the center of his chest and that sometimes he had to lie down or fall down as it felt as though all the blood drained out of his head...and he told her his heart was beating so hard and so loud he didn't know why it didn't pick up on the microphones at times. And that he was sitting down on stage because if he didn't sit he'd pass out or something. He wanted to have two or three places to sit-at each side and in the middle in case he had one of those "spells" on stage and needed to sit down quickly but the Hilton couldn't or wouldn't let him have but one chair on stage at a time!!!
He was pissed she said and wasn't going to work there any more-and said to hell with Baron and his cronies.
She told him he needed to have his heart checked out by a heart specialist and he said that he would and was going to get an apointment...that was in 77. I don't think he ever did but he might have since he was seeing some specialists incognito....wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Thanks for telling us about this information, it's quite some to take in about Elvis' medical conditions and it's only right Rochel should keep so much of the details private. By all accounts it does seem he had an addictive personality with so much of what he did in his life but then for Baron Hilton and his cronies to treat Elvis like he did, what more can be said?!!

[Wanda June Hill]

Another reason Elvis wouldn't want his fans to know that he was seriously ill, had they found out, he would have never been able to get out of his house again-he would have been so mobbed by people trying to see him, thinking they might never see him alive again-it would have been impossible for him to work, perform anywhere or even leave his house! And that's the truth-look how they mobbed his place when he died-it was just that, thousands of people drove, flew and rode busses just to come there then-and they still come there-Had the world know that he was that bad and might be dying, good grief, the tide of people coming to Memphis would have tilted the earth on it's axis for sure!
He knew that-he said people were worried if they heard he had a "hangnail" and he sure didn't ever want them to think he was really sick or something. He said that when he had his tooth removed from a lung-he inhaled it doing something on a film and they sedated him, took it out and he was fine-but he had some kind of emergency event during sedation -probably alergic to something they gave him-and he "went to Heaven and saw his momma" he said and he didn't want to come back...but he did-he said she told him he "had to return and said she would come for me when it was time". He also said his collie dog Babet or something like that, was there and he heard and then felt and then saw her racing to him and she put her paws on his chest. So he knew his pets would be there when it was his time. I so loved it when he said that because I always believed they would be and I know, it's true. wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Thank you Wanda for relating the above and can totally see and understand Elvis' reasons for not mentioning his illnesses to his fans, that would make sense and would have been so very true also, can just imagine it actually!

Is very touching to read of Elvis' collie dog's reaction to him also, she knew and sensed (as so many animals and pets do) that he was ill and suffering previously, also!

[maia]

Yes. I often dream about my deceased pets and my wolf on the Other Side comes to me --- I can feel her presence. Also my german shepherd.


Maia with Shekinah - wolf, in 1999

[Rainbow Light]

[Rainbow Light]

Bringing back on around for anyone who may have missed the first time!

[Wanda Mc]

This happened during the filming of Jailhouse Rock when his mother was very much alive. Maybe it was another incident later in life.

[Wanda June Hill]

I don't know, he said he was sedated and they had to reach down past his vocal cords to get his tooth from his lungs airway-that was what he told me-I do know that when he was sedated to keep him from coughing when he had severe lung congestion later before he was doing live shows-he had a "dream" of going to heaven and being told by his mother that it wasn't time and she'd come for him when it was time. And he said he had a "bad reaction" to the sedatives. I might have those facts mixed up because I do not have it transcribed from a phone conversation that was taped-only some hand written notes of things he told to remind me what was happening and no dates on them other than the year and month, maybe if I'm lucky! I was such a stupid person, but then he was going to be here forever...wjh

[Wanda June Hill]

I don't know, he said he was sedated and they had to reach down past his vocal cords to get his tooth from his lungs airway-that was what he told me-I do know that when he was sedated to keep him from coughing when he had severe lung congestion later before he was doing live shows-he had a "dream" of going to heaven and being told by his mother that it wasn't time and she'd come for him when it was time. And he said he had a "bad reaction" to the sedatives. I might have those facts mixed up because I do not have it transcribed from a phone conversation that was taped-only some hand written notes of things he told to remind me what was happening and no dates on them other than the year and month, maybe if I'm lucky! I was such a stupid person, but then he was going to be here forever...wjh
I didn't think it was Jailhouse Rock-when he was telling this it was right after Charro was made. He was thrown off a horse-or fell off, I don't know which and somehow took a "bite" out of the saddle and had to have some dental work done again...on those front teeth. He was telling these things, and I can't recall ever reading about any of it though I'm sure it was printed many times-anything he did surely was~ He said his fans worried if he got a hangnail! And so much mail would come in if something came out that he'd been hurt-or blessed- is how he put it-they were "burried in paper". wjh

[Wanda Mc]

I found this online about the cap in the lung. I remember it being Jailhouse Rock because of the irony of a similar fear for Vince Everett's voice in the movie. (Art imitating life!)

It often has been reported incorrectly that Elvis was the choreographer for the big "Jailhouse Rock" production number in this film. Alex Romero was the choreographer for the film, but Elvis's own natural moves were Romero's inspiration. Mr. Romero had designed the production number for the song "Jailhouse Rock" . Then, when Elvis tried the Fred Astaire type of steps that has been planned, they found that it wasn't going to work. So, Mr. Romero asked Elvis to perform several songs as if he were on stage. After watching Elvis perform "Hound Dog", "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up", Mr. Romero announced "I got it. See you later, Elvis," and then explained that he was going home to work out a routine using Elvis's natural movements. The next day, they worked their way through to create the now-classic "Jailhouse Rock" production number, one of pop/rock music's greatest and most iconic moments on film, a performance considered by many to be ahead of its time and the father of modern-day music videos. Mr. Romero also worked with Elvis as choreographer for the 1967 movie "Clambake".

With all the dance movements fresh in his head, Elvis was excited to do the production number, but an unusual mishap caused a delay. While sliding down the pole in the scene, Elvis lost the cap off of a tooth. It was discovered that he had aspirated the cap and that it had lodged in his lung. It was successfully removed by a surgeon, who parted his famous vocal cords and retrieved the errant dental appliance. Although Elvis' voice was hoarse for a few days, to the relief of everyone there was no permanent vocal damage and he was released from the hospital on the 16th. (This also happened to be the day his family moved into their new home, Graceland, in Memphis.) Ironically, Vince Everett, Elvis' character in the film, had an injury to his vocal cords and had friends and associates holding their breath to see if there would be lasting damage to his singing voice.

[Rainbow Light]

Thank you for the information, ladies! Poor baby, that must have hurt him real bad!

[Rainbow Light]

date:1973
subject: Ugly Elvis

Elvis: Elvis Presley ugly! Lord! That would be a crime-against mankind. I'm not that damn good looking-you know, I get so sick of that. I wish I had something to make me more-more out-standing, like a scar or something. Or some kind of special nose like a real Italian nose or something. Instead of just classic profile looks. I mean, I got nothing outstanding about my face. It is just-just like-like a statue-nothing!

Wanda: And your blind too!

Elvis: Blind? What do you mean by that? Blind?

Wanda: You just can't see yourself as others do-if you did you'd understand.

Elvis: I guess so.
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Lordy, that man sure was so humble, how could he EVER have thought HE was ugly????!!!!!

[FairyTale]

I Totaly Agree RainBowLight, Elvis sure didn't see what we do. FairyTale!

[Rainbow Light]