In an emotional and triumphant return to the pulpit on New Year’s Eve, Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder of The Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, opened up to his congregation about a “slight health incident” that occurred while he was preaching on November 24. The incident led to emergency surgery to save his life.
Jakes, who admitted feeling a “fair amount of anxiety” before stepping onto the stage, was met with thunderous applause and cheers from his supportive congregation.
While he was initially hesitant to share too many details about the medical emergency that required several hours of surgery at Southern Methodist Hospital, he revealed enough to explain that doctors told him had his team delayed treatment by just five minutes, he would have been “DOA.”
“I’m so grateful to the Lord,” Jakes said. “To be perfectly honest, in the spirit of my daughter, I’m going to be very transparent. I had a fair amount of anxiety about walking on this stage standing in the same spot that I almost died in,” Jakes said. “In fact, I think I did, but God, in His infinite wisdom and His great grace, brought me back to this same spot.”
A video clip of the health incident that was posted on YouTube shows Jakes sharing how much he loved preaching and wasn’t tired of his job before he began experiencing what appeared to be seizure-like symptoms on stage.
Moments later, it became clear to attendees that something was wrong. People on the stage rushed to his aid and surrounded him while congregants began praying before the livestream was disconnected.
Many who watched the incident in person and online speculated that Jakes may have had a stroke.
While Jakes didn’t reveal the exact condition he suffered, he suggested it may have been an issue with his heart by sharing that Dr. Joseph Amos, a member of his church and chief of staff at Southern Methodist Hospital, “stayed on the shift for 24 hours until he was sure my heart was pumping again” after he did surgery.
“I want you to know you were praying all the while they were doing surgery on me, and God brought me safely through. I went through several hours of surgery. They almost lost me twice, but every time my numbers dropped, your prayers prevailed, and I’m standing here today on the glory of God,” Jakes told congregants.
“Death had to back up off of me,” he said. “I came back as a testimony that God heard the prayers of the righteous.”
Jakes said there are some parts of the day he fell ill that he does not remember. He did not learn about what happened to him on stage until he watched a recording of the incident while he was at the hospital.
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