Drake White ‘Taking a Break From Touring’ to Heal From Brain AVM

Drake White is coming off the road to complete treatment for the arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his brain. The country singer revealed his diagnosis with the disorder after collapsing onstage in Virginia in mid-August.

A Thursday (Aug. 29) post on White's Instagram account, from his team, revealed the artist's plans: "Drake is taking time to rest and recover due to residual effects of the AVM. He is in the best hands possible and is going to take a break from touring for a while, in order to make a full recovery and get back to 100 percent."

White's tour calendar is clear through September, but he's got two Australian shows and a number of concerts in the U.S. scheduled in October and early November. The Boot has reached out to White's team for the details on exactly which shows are being canceled and/or postponed and will update this story as details are made available.

White's brain AVM was diagnosed in January; a lasting headache, spots in his left eye and numbness on the left side of his body sent the singer to the emergency room, which resulted in an angiogram and an MRI, and then the diagnosis. Having an AVM means the arteries and veins in White's brain are tangled, which disrupts blood flow. His doctors believe he's been living with it since birth, but if the condition had gone undiscovered, it could have caused a stroke.

Since his diagnosis, White has been undergoing a series of embolization procedures, which will cut off blood flow in the affected area. According to White, the procedures have "knocked out 75 percent of the mass," and he hopes the condition will be completely gone by the end of 2019. Previously, he had been keeping his touring schedule going around the procedures.

“From the moment I found out, I refused to see it as a problem. Rather, I chose to let it inspire me and help others. I have to think I’ve been going through all of this for a reason,” White says. “Everyone is going through something. You have to treat every person like it could be their last day."

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