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Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller today talked candidly about the battle he's been fighting to stay alive. Nearly two months ago, he said he suffered a serious heart attack that caused several medical complications.
Miller said the problems started June 10 when he suffered a massive heart attack. He had to get a pacemaker and then went in for emergency surgery to have two stents put in.
That surgery, unfortunately, sent Miller into kidney failure. He was on dialysis for about six weeks before his kidneys started working again. He says that the doctors can't explain why his kidneys began working again, but he has his ideas on what prompted them to begin working again, although he did not share them.
Miller is also talking a lot about his plans for the future. He's undergoing some serious physical therapy because the surgeries were very difficult on his body, especially on his muscle tone. He talked about that therapy he's going to go through as well as a whole new eating plan.
It's well-known that Miller has Type 2 diabetes, which caused some further complications. He said his health has been in decline for about two to five years and that if you look carefully at past Jazz games, you'll notice him struggling to stand or being assisted to walk.
He says he tried to keep his medical problems hidden from the public, but now he wants to put it all in the open, including these latest really risky times for him.
"A week ago Wednesday night, I almost died twice … lost eight pints of blood," Miller said.
As for the future of the Larry H. Miller companies, Miller's son Greg was made CEO a couple of weeks ago. Miller says that's the way things are and the way they will be.
Miller was in really good spirits today and joked around about how much he hated the hospital food, how difficult it is for him to adjust to this new diet, and he talked about a lot about how his family got him through. He says for the first time in his life he had time to sit down with his children one-on-one. He says he's also become closer with each one of his 20 grandkids.
Miller says he will need a wheelchair and walker to get around, but he will still be out. He says there's no point in him staying hidden and away from the people and the area that he loves so much.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
