Fans of San Antonio native and Tejano legend Raulito Navaira have spent days in concern following reports of his emergency spinal surgery. Now, the music icon is speaking out for the first time.
His children, fellow award-winning Tejano artists Destiny and Rigo Navaira, shared the news in a social media post last week but only gave a few details at the time. On Thursday, May 14, Raulito shared a video update with fans and opened up about what happened.
He explained that he had emergency back surgery after doctors found an abscess on his spinal cord, saying he was "really in a lot of pain" before the procedure. He also mentioned that the abscess was connected to an infection in one of his toes, which is why he had been wearing a medical boot.
In the video, Raulito added details about his recovery and thanked fans for all the love and support.
"I'm going to be here for a while longer at the hospital, recuperating, doing physical therapy. But I'm okay, I'm okay. I'll be alright -- I have a lot of faith. Again, thank you to all my family, friends, and all the fans. It's been incredible, the response. I love you all," he said.
As a Tejano star, Navaira also shared an update in Spanish with nearly identical status checks, but added sentiments on his late mother and plans to take his health seriously moving forward.
The Navaira family's GoFundMe campaign remains active, with a $20,000 goal to help cover Raulito's extended recovery and around-the-clock care.