In this spoken segment, comedian Rodney Perry recounts his severe bout with COVID-19 that required a 14‑day hospital stay and subsequent home oxygen therapy. While recovering at home, he describes a vivid, comforting experience in which he heard a younger version of his deceased mother’s voice assuring him he would have "30 more summers." Perry reflects on the possible spiritual nature of the moment, noting that friends suggested it could have been a divine voice speaking in his mother’s tone. He uses the story to illustrate resilience, the search for solace after illness, and the interplay of humor and vulnerability, punctuated by a brief comedic aside about being a "Trailblazer" and smelling like smoke.
Chapters
Well, people know about my stroke, right? But what people don't know is that I went through a bout with COVID I had the real COVID, when you would get sick for like 2 weeks, 3 weeks, and you was like, yo, it was crazy. So I get COVID, I go to the hospital, I'm in the hospital 14 days. During that time, I talked to my cousin and she was talking to me every day. And I talked to my cousin, her name is Phyllis. I said, Phil, how many summers do you want to live? Hmm. She said, I don't know. Why you ask me that stupid question? I said, ain't that a stupid question? You gonna die. How many more summers you wanna live? She said, I don't know. I said, you know what? In a perfect world, I like to live about 30 more summers. And she said, boy, you stupid. And so that happened. I get discharged 14 days after I checked in, and I'm at home. I'm on oxygen. They released me home, but they put me on oxygen, so I could not walk. 5 feet without oxygen. Yeah, but it was, it was, it was a hard time. And when I was in the hospital, I felt okay. I was like, I'm good, I'm going home. And when I got home, the COVID was just wreaking havoc on my lungs. So I'm, I'm laying there on the couch one morning, and I get what I feel like is a call, telephone call. Pick up the phone, it's my mom. Tell you, my mom is gone already. It's my mother. Wait a minute, wait, wait, wait, Oh, you're killing me.
Go ahead.
So I'm, I'm, I'm on the— I hear a younger version of my mother's voice. Hey, hey, you all right? Yeah, man, I'm all right, but I don't feel good. Yeah, you gonna be all right. That simple. Calmness came over me. You gonna be all right. And she says, oh, by the way, you gonna get them 30 summers. And since then, wow, bro, I've talked with some friends about the moment, and it's like, that might not have been your mom, that might have been God speaking to you in the only voice you wanted to hear at that moment. I said, whatever it is, I talked to my mom, and, and there's solace in that.
Thing about being the Trailblazer, you're gonna smell like smoke. Going city to city, we turn a corner.
When you with Trailblazer, smelling like smoke. Pay attention to the joke.
