In a recent interview with People magazine, Loretta Lynn opened up about her road to recovery after suffering a stroke in 2017 and breaking her hip on New Year's Day this year. It wasn't easy, but the 86-year-old country music legend wasn't going to let health issues get in the way of recording new music and getting back on the road and in front of her fans.
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"I wasn't goin' to let it stop me," Lynn told People. "You just can't sit down and say 'Hey, take me.'"
The "Coal Miner's Daughter" singer discussed her fears that the stroke would hinder her ability to sing.
"It's a very scary thing when you find out you're havin' a stroke," Lynn said. "I wondered if I could sing. Mommy said I was born singin'. That's all I've ever done. I couldn't believe that that could be taken away."
Thankfully (for all or us), Lynn is still singing. She released her new album Wouldn't It Be Great on Sept. 28. The album is a deeply personal one. Several of the songs were inspired by her husband, Oliver "Doolittle" Lynn, who passed away in 1996. Lynn told the magazine that the album's title track was written for her husband.
"I think of him a lot when I'm singing that song," Lynn told People. "It's the last thing I sang to him before he died."
During her recovery, Lynn moved from her house in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. to a home near Nashville so she could be closer to doctors. At the beginning of this year, the country icon suffered another setback when she fell and broke her hip.
After physical therapy and recuperating at home, Lynn is rejuvenated. And part of the recovery process includes getting back on the road.
"I will get completely better if I go out and hit the stage a couple times," Lynn said. "I need to show everybody that I can do it."
Read More: Review: 'Wouldn't It Be Great' Magnifies Loretta Lynn's Sensitive Side
Lynn said the drive to perform isn't about proving herself. She just loves to get out on stage and sing.
"I don't have nothing to prove but I have stuff I want to do," Lynn told People. "And my fans want me to do it too. My fans are out there with me saying, 'Do it Loretta. Do it.'"
Lynn will be honored as an Artist of a Lifetime at CMT's Artists of the Year ceremony. The special will air on CMT on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. CT.
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