Sunny Garcia Is In Daily Therapy And Has Spoken, According To His Family

At the end of April, Sunny Garcia reportedly attempted suicide. 

He was found and admitted to a hospital in Oregon where he was placed on life support and was in a coma. For the following month, reports from friends and family were optimistic, but the reality was grim. 

The 2000 World Champ had both an illustrious and notorious career for speaking his mind and possessing a domineering power in and out of the water. In recent years, Sunny also waged a very vocal and public battle with depression. 

Following Sunny’s hospitalization, details of his condition have been fuzzy. And, on multiple occasions–due to the reactive nature of social media–false alarms and subsequent mournings of his death broke across Instagram feeds. They spread like a brushfire until friends and family close to the actual Sunny situation were forced to come out and extinguish the rumor.

Today, the Sunny Garcia GoFundMe page, which at time of writing has raised 121k of the 150k goal, posted two photos of Mr. Garcia conscious and in recovery.

“Sunny is a warrior and fighting everyday to get better and stronger. He has said a few words and is now in therapy daily- physical, speech and occupational.”

It stated:

From the family:

A long over due update on Sunny. We are taking one day at a time and celebrating each little triumph. Sunny is a warrior and fighting everyday to get better and stronger. He has said a few words and is now in therapy daily- physical, speech and occupational. The family thanks you for your continued support for Sunny as he continues to heal. It’s going to be a marathon not a sprint but we work every day to make sure he is surrounded with love, laughter and ohana.

Further details of Sunny’s condition remain blurry but the Champ is awake and has said a few words. If it is possible, the road to a full recovery and brain-functionality will be long and arduous. That road has, however, started; which is something to celebrate.

We recently released an unpublished interview we conducted with Sunny in 2017, prior to the Triple Crown. You can read that here.

If you’d like to contribute to the GoFundMe, head here.

If you or any loved ones are struggling with thoughts of suicide contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255