Former Of Mice & Men Vocalist Austin Carlile: "Everything That I Was, Was That Band"

Ex-Of Mice & Men vocalist Austin Carlile has discussed his health issues and relationship with God in a video by the Christian non-profit organisation I Am Second.

In the 10-minute film, he discusses the impact of the death of his mother, living with Marfan syndrome (a fibrostic connective tissue disorder) and how mounting health problems forced him to quit the band in 2016.

“Every time I was singing, I was tearing holes in my spine,” he explains. “And the pain was because spinal fluid was coming out. The doctors told me, you can’t be in the band your body needs to rest. Everything that I was, was that band. And I walked away and I knew God was calling me to do something different, but I was so confused as to what that was.”

After his departure, the singer moved to Costa Rica and reveals that a group of missionaries “healed” him after a chance meeting in church.

“Then and there they laid their hands on me and prayed for me and I started from standing with them praying, to my knees, and as they were praying for me, God was telling them different pains that my body is having – and I started to break down,” he says. “And they prayed for healing, they prayed for restoration. I’m not usually a sensual, touchy-feely kind of guy, that’s not my thing. Crying in public isn’t a big thing. I stood up after that prayer and I could touch my toes for the first time in like two months. I stood up and I took my back brace off. I went out and was playing football and playing in the waves.”

Watch the film below.

The vocalist was admitted to a hospital in Palo Alto, California last week, after describing some “gnarly symptoms” to his doctor.

“I was supposed to be on a flight back to Costa Rica right now, but my body had other plans,” reads a post on Instagram. “I was texting my doctor on Friday morning discussing some of the gnarly symptoms I've been struggling with the past few days [and] he called me right after reading them saying ‘Do not leave the country, get to the hospital immediately.’

“I've been back in Stanford [Health Care] since yesterday morning. Won't go into detail about what they think it could be, but have a few days of testing, testing, and more testing to find out exactly what's happening. No matter what though, I'm at peace knowing I'm in God's hands as I face this new obstacle.”