One of the formative rappers in UK hip-hop history has been left unable to eat or drink, let alone perform. In an interview with The Independent, South London MC Mell’O’ spoke about his life battling severe chronic hiccups. He has a rare condition called type III achalasia, where a muscle at the bottom of his food pipe would refuse to let up.
This experience has lasted two decades, during which hiccups would endure for hours and only become more intense with time. Eventually, he’d reach days without any relief.
“Within a year I was having hiccups three or four days in a row. On a day that I’m having a cycle like this, it will be four to five hours, and then it might stop for an hour and then go again,” Mell’O’ told the publication. “I would be exhausted because of the hiccups and then they wouldn’t stop, so I’d fall asleep hiccuping.”
Problems grew increasingly worse when the hiccups caused him to choke on his own vomit. Any food or water he tried to keep down would inevitably come back up. Even when he went to doctors, they couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong with him. In 2011, he was eventually given a muscle relaxant and a special medication that fought against spasms. That solution only lasted two years.
London Rapper Mell’o’ Suffers Intense Hiccuping Condition That lEft Him Unable to Eat or Drink
Due to this condition, his entire way of living was impacted. He couldn’t eat or drink properly until he underwent a procedure that widened his food pipe. He had to withdraw from performances because he was unable to rap without the hiccups overtaking his life. His social life was radically changed, and he withdrew from the public altogether.
Thankfully, it might not be all horrible for Mell’O’. Eventually, he’s going to undergo a POEM procedure, where surgeons would cut muscle fibers to finally allow food and liquid into his stomach. While it’s his best chance at recovery, it’s wildly expensive, and the wait list is up to a year long. Consequently, he’s asking for help via a GoFundMe.
“Although private treatment is available, the cost is more than I can afford on my own. After living with this condition for so many years, I want to pursue the treatment available to me, but I cannot take this step without financial assistance,” Mell’O’ wrote.
“Asking for help is not easy. It takes courage to share something so personal and to admit that you cannot meet the cost of the treatment you need by yourself. But after so many years of living with this condition, I feel it is time to reach out and give myself the opportunity to seek a better future.”
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