The heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s drummer, Nicko McBrain, has been partially paralysed since a stroke in January 2023 when he was at home in Boca Raton.
McBrain has been with the band since 1982. That marked the start of an arduous journey towards physical rehabilitation, which was followed by prompt and accurate treatment by stroke doctors at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital, a Baptist Health facility located in Boca Raton, Florida’s Marcus Neuroscience Institute.
McBrain talked about his health problems when he recently appeared on The Washington Tattoo podcast. As reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, he stated: “It took place on January 19th of last year. That day, I was actually getting cataract surgery. And I imagine that having someone tamper with your pants caused a great deal of anxiety and frustration. And I was finishing them both concurrently. I used to perform them one at a time in case they didn’t work. If it happened, you would only be blind in one eye, not both. And I was told by reliable sources that the only reason they still dislike doing both at the same time is because of that. However, I was confident in the surgeon because of the modern methods used. “Oh, can I finish both at the same time?” I said. “Sure, no issue.”
He went on, “Anyway. I seem to recall that I was watching tennis on television. I usually get up around seven or seven thirty in the morning, so being up before six is odd for me. And when I stood up, I felt a little uneasy. I dozed off while relaxing on the chaise sofa. At approximately eight o’clock, I decided to take a nap. I’m quite exhausted. I had this stroke when I woke up approximately forty-five minutes later. And even though I was unable to feel the pins and needles, I assumed they were there. Reaching up, I asked, ‘What’s going on here?’ And although I could feel [the arm], nothing was occurring. And then my arm just fell out from under me, and I was like, “Oh sh*t.” Something seems off. And even though my leg was shaky, it didn’t paralyse it. which is fortunate for me because my foot was still functional. One small comfort, at least: God granted me my right foot. Not quite as good as it once was, but still In any case, I visited the physicians, or they transported me to the hospital. Around me, a full team of individuals worked. I felt like a movie star. Furthermore, they had no idea who I was. When a person visits Boca Baptist Hospital, also known as [Baptist Health] Boca [Raton] Regional Hospital, they receive the same kind of care. No matter who you are, they promptly surround you with a team of about twelve people. I had a CT scan following the MRI, and then I had another one. My neurologist doctor, Marc A. Swerdloff, had a large group of students surrounding him as I came out. He also had about six young children, which I refer to as kids because they are probably all in their 20s or 30s. Nevertheless, he says, “Mr. McBrain, you’ve had a stroke.” I said, “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” He laughed as well. He then declared, “It’s a TIA.” “Well, so it’s not a major stroke,” I said. Yes, he replied. “We have this medication called TNK [tenecteplase],” he continued. I’m not sure what it stands for. He also mentioned that it is a clot buster, stopping any potential or existing brain damage from getting worse. But there’s a risk, he noted. ‘What’s the risk?’ I asked. “You could die,” he said. I said, “All right.” What is the failure rate among patients receiving intravenous tenecteplase treatment, then? Between seven and nine percent was it. “If you have it, we have to monitor you every hour and place you in intensive care for 24 hours,” he says. ‘Well, okay, let’s have it,’ I said. Let me sign this, he says. I also had to put a cross because I’m right-handed. “Just make out as much as you can,” he urged. I wrote my name on a line, sort of. I was given it by him outside of the MRI. I’m upstairs about three hours later. At last, I was able to slightly move my thumb, which was my first motor skill. I spent two nights there, and the day after I was released, I went to therapy. I received occupational therapy and three physiotherapies per week. I could still communicate, but it seemed like my face was down here and my scapula had lowered. Thus, my paralysis was all I had.”
“You have the most recovery after a stroke within the first three months,” McBrain continued. The following three months are a little less after that, as are the three months after that, and so on. It’s been over a year and a half, but next week is when I’ll be over. What day is it? Yes, in ten days. Thus, I haven’t returned to my desired location yet. Most likely, I have… It is impossible for me to do. I’m unable to perform 16-note rolls that transition into 32-note rolls at this tempo. I am now able to play eighth notes and grooves like that. I can play doubles, but when I try to play that 16th at that speed, it wobbles from left to right when I try to play quickly instead of moving up and down. I now need to modify my fills. I mean, I can’t get the fill for “The Trooper,” so I don’t play it anymore. It’s how quickly it moves. I can work slowly on anything, but I have to make sure that I can maintain the song’s typical flow.”
Explaining further how his stroke has impacted his performance, Nicko stated: “We started rehearsing [for the spring 2023 MAIDEN tour] at the end of April [of 2023]. I therefore had those three months: February, March, April, and March. Basically, I recovered for a whole year before attending the rehearsal. Thus, as part of my regimen today, I warm up by doing the eight on eight to attempt to get my fingers to work, but they’re not I’ve reached my pinnacle at this point. I play with a side project band called TITANIUM TART, and during some of our rehearsals, I’ve observed that we’re practicing an identical set to the one I’ll be performing with MAIDEN later this year. This weekend, I have two jobs coming up. We practise once every week. I have rehearsals tomorrow and tonight. I’m therefore free to go try these things out. And they aren’t productive. I’ve gone back to playing straighter on those kinds of fills, which is what I was doing with the band last year. I keep hearing the triplets in [the song] “Fear Of The Dark,” and a few of the hi-hats break. Things of that nature. It all comes down to the song tempo. I find it difficult when they’re moving quickly. I can handle it when they’re slow.”
In an interview with Baptist Health three months ago, Nicko thought back on that tragic morning when he suffered a stroke. He stated: “It was most likely around 8 or 8:15. I slept. I got up at around quarter to nine. And my arm did not move as I rolled onto my side. ‘What’s going on?’ I wondered. I then raised my hand. In my hand, I experienced sensation. And I wondered, “Well, where are the needles and pins?” Why did it fall asleep? I then began to [squeeze my hand]. My hand just fell out of my grasp when I released it. And I had a “Uh oh.”