Gloria Gaynor feared she was "going to die" after undergoing risky spinal surgery.
Gloria Gaynor
The 'I Will Survive' hitmaker had her spine broken and reconstructed in a two-part procedure last year, in order to free herself of the chronic pain she'd suffered since falling over a monitor on stage in 1978 and her surgeon admitted it was one of the most "complex" operations he'd carried out.
After ending up in an intensive care unit (ICU) after having the first part of the operation in January 2018, Gloria reflected: "I thought I was going to die."
Her surgeon, Dr. Hooman M. Melamed, explained: "I had to perform one of the most difficult surgeries [involving] breaking her spine then reconstructing it.
"This procedure is [rare] because it is so complex and requires a great deal of precision."
Gloria added: "He told us that I took five years off his life, because they really thought they might lose me."
But five days later, the 75-year-old singer underwent the second part of the process and it only took her a day to realise it had been a success.
She said: "I was walking bent over for 20 years. Right after the surgery when they got me up and I was walking up straight for the first time . . . it was incredible!
"I prayed that God would use the doctor's hands as his hands, and I have no doubt that he did."
These days, Gloria is thrilled to be "absolutely pain-free" and even plans to dance in heels at her upcoming concerts.
She said: "I [recently] went to a wedding and actually danced. People were on the floor trying to copy my moves."
After her initial fall over 40 years ago, Gloria woke up unable to move her legs but was able to walk again after having a ruptured disc removed and two vertebrae in her lower spine removed and admitted her record label thought her career was over - only for her to make a comeback with her disco anthem 'I Will Survive' later that year.
She said of the track: "I've always believed that God said to the writers, 'Sit down, write this song and just hold onto it. I'm going to send you somebody.' And he sent me."
The 'I Am What I Am' star had another operation in 1997 to have two rods inserted into her spine, but that caused more issues.
She explained to People magazine: "But it made my back flat, which made me lean forward.
"There were times when I had to sleep in a chair because I just couldn't sleep lying down."
Gloria attempted to keep pain at bay over the years with various medication but by late 2017, she struggled to make it on a short walk to a New York restaurant, prompting her to decide to take action.
She said: "By the time I got there, I was in excruciating pain. I couldn't have taken another step. [I said] 'This is it. I can't live like this."