DAYS Star Greg Vaughan Suffers Health Crisis On Spring Break

Greg Vaughan is recovering after coming down with an illness during a family outing for spring break. The Days of our Lives actor, who portrays Eric Brady on the Peacock soap, shared the details of his unexpected ordeal. His attitude proves that it’s almost always possible to keep a sense of humor — or the ability to quote Tom Hanks movies.

The Patient Is In

“Life is like a box of chocolates,” Vaughan began his Instagram post, quoting a well-known line from Forrest Gump, which starred Tom Hanks. “‘You never know whatcha gonna get!'” Vaughan shared that his recent illness is a reminder that he feels as if he truly both lives and works in a soap opera! “[T]his trip was nothing short of another great Vaughan adventure,” he says.

“Father & Sons Colorado Spring Break! Here it goes!” Vaughan continued. Destiny, alas, had other ideas. “I was feeling somewhat tired after 1 day, experiencing shortness of breath climbing a few flights of stairs, wheezy, some congestion after some cold snowy conditions, and a headache developing. I had hydrated all day, so into the night I drank a bottle of Pedialyte and ‘NyQuil’d’ myself out for the night to be ready to tackle BRECK w/the boys the next morning!

“Unfortunately, it was a night of tossing, turning, no sleep, coughing, dry heaving & my head felt like it was in a walnut cracker!” Vaughan adds. “Disappointedly, morning arrived & I had to tell my boys, plus our friends who just arrived, I was staying home to rest & be my best for our final days to come! To which only got worse as the day went on! I was mentally spinning trying not to think of having another horrible night or losing another day w/my boys … but I did.

“Two full days gone, enough was enough, I finally surrendered & went to urgent care and to my shock I learned that I was experiencing severe altitude sickness!” the actor reveals. “My Blood Oxygen was at 54% & my lungs were full of fluids! Blood oxygen, also known as oxygen saturation, represents the percentage of hemoglobin in your red blood cells that is carrying oxygen. Most people have an oxygen level of 95-100%….”

Health Update

Fortunately, Vaughan shared an update that contained a turn for the better! “Well, 4 hrs later, a couple of bags of IV & oxygen tank strapped to my face, I was told that I needed to immediately get off the mountain!” the actor reports.

“However I couldn’t, we still had another day to go & wanting the boys to enjoy their last day on the hilltops! I opted to go home with an oxygen tank, a good laugh for everyone, and I know will follow, but my boys looked after their old man & fortunately, they had friends on this trip!

“In all seriousness, no matter your age and all the times I’ve [skied and snowboarded] in my lifetime, Colorado Rockies is no joke!” Vaughan concludes. “As they say, ‘take a breath and smell the roses!’ That is truly something we need to remember & appreciate!”

Vaughan received well-wishes from his DAYS pals including his TV mother, Deidre Hall (Marlena), who wrote, “Oh honey! I’m so sorry.” Added Julie Dove (Connie): “Get well soon Greg! Sending healing hugs.”

Soap Hub also sends the fan favorite continued recovery after his unexpected and serious ordeal on the mountain.