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Statement from Tony Mills Sept.11th 2010
'I thought it more than appropriate to thanks some people over the last two weeks' experience through the UK to Norway and back.
I was looking forward to two shows in Narvik and Skaun, in Norway at the end of August, but they weren't going to go quite as planned.
When I arrived at Birmingham airport around 02.30 to leave for Amsterdam and Oslo, I felt less than well and waited a while before I even
entered the airport. This seemed to pass, so I caught the flights to Amsterdam and then onto Oslo. I jumped the flight to Narvik and made
the soundcheck at the festival. The gig was great, but it was an early flight back to Oslo, to return back to Trondheim and reach the
Skaun show.
We had an hour to wait at Gardemoen before the flight to Trondheim, so we sat and talked about the release of the newly mixed album and its schedule. The time came to leave for the flight, so I went for a wash and was the last one to board the flight. But I didn't.
I don't really remember much, other than waking much later in the University Hospital in Oslo. It took me a week or so to piece together
what happened in the airport, but it sort of all figures.
It seems I passed out at gate 21 and the cameras and security picked it up very quickly. The police and authorities called the band from the plane to assist the medics etc., that had accumulated around me and help with information etc. I guess It was decided that I depart this life for a couple of minutes, but before any more time passed by, I was back and in a chopper on the way to the brain scan department close by. This was quickly succeeded by another air lift to Oslo University Hospital where I stayed for the best part of ten days.
As things were relatively stable for the time I was there, the decision to operate on me was delayed for a while until it was obviously the best thing to do while I was in Oslo. Consequently, specialists performed successful heart surgery. During all this time, the people around me were true soldiers. Mona Halvorsen, Eivind Brydoy, Ronni Le Tekro and Diesel Dahl were in meetings regarding my safety and well being and the re-organisation of my forthcoming weeks without my knowing and in constant touch with my wife, Pam who handling everything tirelessly for me at home; God bless her. Victor Borge was a true brother. The staff at the University Hospital were always there for every question and need and handled any situation that was thrown at them; brilliant. Bjorn Monstad looked after the flight logistics and important travel arrangements and as usual, took any of those doubts away.
I think everyone came to see me as well, all of the crew guys and people that we work with, although I have to say it was difficult to remember all the visits and phone calls, because some of those tablets you have to take under these circumstances, give rise to situations that, shall we say, could be real or not, it's difficult to know.
Anyway, I came back to the UK through Copenhagen (which was fun) and now I'm being cared for by the Cardiology unit at a UK hospital, which is where I will stay for a few months. Thank you to everyone for the last two weeks, I'm sorry we never made the Skaun gig, but thanks to the promoters for their card, we have to make that show up to you soon.
I'll see you after some rest in 2011.
Tony Mills
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