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Philly MC Freeway was diagnosed with kidney failure and rushed to the hospital for emergency dialysis treatment in September 2015, sending shockwaves though the Hip-Hop community. Now, he is sharing his experience in a new documentary.

With a new album, Free Will, set to drop on April 29, Freeway is still on the road doing shows and making appearances, although not as much as he would like to. After doctors informed him that he had End Stage Renal Failure, Freeway had to slow down. These days Freeway starts his morning in a dialysis center and ends the night rocking a show. Knowing that fans want to stay updated with his status, Freeway plans to release a documentary showing his progress, peep the trailer:

In a recent conversation with writer Kevito Clark (who also suffers from kidney disease), Freeway opened up about how his health has effected his career and eating habits.

Per OKP:

OKP: What was your initial thought after experiencing your life-altering moment? It could be a scary time when in the midst of all that—with doctors and people poking at you—so what were your first thoughts?

Freeway: I knew something was wrong with me because in 2012 I was diagnosed with high-blood pressure and diabetes. I was really trying my best to maintain that, y’know, taking the medicines and everything. But by being an artist and traveling on the road all the time makes it harder to make good food decisions. When all that’s open is Burger King and stuff like that, it can be hard to do. I was trying my best to take care of myself, but I guess I didn’t do as good of a job as I should have, y’know?!

Right now, I’m doing my best to stick to the strict diet that I have set for myself now. It is really, really working for me. All my levels are good, my creatinine and whatnot, which means that my numbers are straight. So, with everything good, I’m just focused on moving forward.

Freeway went on to reveal that his now actively involved with the National Kidney Foundation, American Kidney Fund and World Kidney Day in hopes of informing people like him about the disease and how to get in front of it. His work with the organizations have helped his name move up the active transplant list quicker. He also admitted that his diagnosis has made his circle smaller.

OKP: How does that make you feel knowing that only a handful of people genuinely care or would be there for you?

Freeway: It’s sad. It’s definitely sad, y’know? When life situations happen, there are people in my life who see me every day and didn’t even care. I don’t see them now even till this day. I used to talk to certain people all the time and I’ve never heard from them after being diagnosed. When you’re in a situation where something drastic happens to you, it will let you know who is in your corner and who is not. There have been only a few people that are really there for me that are still around. It’s really a sad thing to experience.

Freeway also revealed details about Free Will. Producers Tryfe and Girl Talk are handling the bulk of the beats and the album includes features from Young Buck and Raheem Devaughn. The first single “Hot As Ice” was released in March.

 

Photo: Instagram