As reported by People, in the book (out Nov. 1), Perry reveals that doctors gave him a “two percent chance to live” during his lengthy hospitalization. He told the magazine that he decided to open up now, because he feels “safe from going into the dark side of everything again.” Read on to see what the actor shared. READ THIS NEXT: Brad Pitt Credits This Huge Star With Helping Him Overcome Addiction. In his interview with People about his book, Perry, now 53, shared that when he was 49, he was in a coma for two weeks and hospitalized for five months after his colon burst due to the overuse of opioids. He also had to use a colostomy bag for nine months. After he was admitted to the hospital, “the doctors told [his] family that I had a two percent chance to live.” He told People, “I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.” When Perry was hospitalized in 2018, he didn’t publicly share as many details about the situation as he is now, but his representative did release a statement that he was in the hospital and undergoing surgery. “Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation,” his rep told People in August 2018. Then, in September 2018, Perry tweeted, “Three months in a hospital bed. Check.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. All told, Perry has had 14 stomach surgeries. “That’s a lot of reminders to stay sober,” he told the magazine. “All I have to do is look down.” He also explained that his therapist gave him some advice that affected his outlook. “My therapist said, ‘The next time you think about taking Oxycontin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life,’” he remembered. “And a little window opened and I crawled through it and I no longer want Oxycontin anymore.” Perry did not share how long he has been sober currently, but he said that he counts the days himself. As for how serious his substance use issues were in the past, at one point during Friends, he was taking 55 Vicodin per day. Perry is very familiar with using his own experience with addiction to help others. He opened The Perry House, a sober-living facility in 2013, but sold the location two years later, telling The Hollywood Reporter that it was “too expensive to run” and that he hoped to relocate elsewhere. Now, Perry is hoping to help others by sharing his whole story in his memoir. “There were five people put on an ECMO machine that night and the other four died and I survived,” he told People. “So the big question is why? Why was I the one? There has to be some kind of reason.” He continued, “I say in the book that if I did die, it would shock people, but it wouldn’t surprise anybody. And that’s a very scary thing to be living with. So my hope is that people will relate to it, and know that this disease attacks everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re successful or not successful, the disease doesn’t care.”
