Sinbad Still Learning to Walk Again After Suffering Stroke in 2020

Comedian and actor Sinbad is still recovering years after his October 2020 hospitalization. Two years after the 66-year-old performer, born David Adkins, was hospitalized after suffering an ischemic stroke, his family provided a health update, sharing that the television and movie star “has made significant progress beyond what anyone expected, but there are still miles to go,” and he is currently learning how to walk again.

The update was shared to a website his family created to document his road to recovery, the statement beginning by reflecting on the Jingle All the Way actor’s health struggle, which began in October 2020 after Sinbad “suffered an ischemic stroke as a result of a blood clot that traveled from his heart to his brain.” While Sinbad was initially able to talk and move after a thrombectomy and had a “promising” prognosis, the following day, he suffered another blood clot that required surgery. After the second surgery, though, Sinbad was placed in a medically induced coma and “the road to recovery became unclear and extremely difficult for the family to navigate.” When Sinbad woke weeks later, “it wasn’t long before we realized he couldn’t move his left side or simply hold his head up. The more time passed the more the family learned how much had been lost.”

Sinbad’s family went on to recall how over the following months, Sinbad “moved through acute care facilities” and was then admitted to California Rehabilitation Institute “to California Rehabilitation Institute and began physical, occupational, and speech therapy. It was there Sinbad started to make considerable progress toward recovery.” In July 2021, nearly nine months after his initial hospitalization, Sinbad returned home.

“He continues to receive therapy, fighting for every inch. His progress is nothing short of remarkable,” the family, who noted that the survival rate from a stroke like his is around 30%, continued. “Limbs that were said to be ‘dead’ are coming alive and he’s taking the steps necessary to learn to walk again. In his own words, ‘I am not done. I will not stop fighting until I can walk across the stage again.’ And neither will we.”

The update also came with a call for help, the performer’s family noting that Sinbad’s medical journey has come with rising bills, writing, “the costs of therapy far exceed what insurance covers and it has taken its toll on the family financially.” The family said they created the website “as an avenue for those who would like to lend their support and contribute in some way. All gifts will go to the Adkins Trust to help provide for Sinbad’s care and help him continue to fight this battle.” The update concluded, “we are eternally grateful. Every outpouring of love and the memories of how he has touched all of you have not gone unheard, unseen, or unfelt. Thank you. You have lifted his spirits along the way and inspired the entire family.”