Billy Porter reflects on sepsis battle: 'I was dead for three days'

Billy Porter has claimed he was "dead for three days" after being hospitalised for sepsis.

Last September, the Tony Award-winning actor was forced to leave the Broadway production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club early after being diagnosed with "a serious case" of sepsis.

Speaking about his ordeal amid an interview for Outlaws with TS Madison this week, Porter recalled how he went to a doctor's appointment for a "routine check" when they discovered that a kidney stone "was trapped in (the) urethra".

"When they got in there, there was so much pus, and bile, and infection behind the stone. It bubbled up, and I went uroseptic in minutes," he explained, referring to the type of sepsis that starts in the urinary tract and can spread to the kidneys.

Porter went on to note that the infection was so severe that he was put on a temporary life support system known as an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine.

"I was dead for three days. I am a miracle. I'm a walking miracle," the 56-year-old continued, becoming tearful.

And once the Pose star was taken off the machine, doctors informed him that his leg had "gone into compartment syndrome, which is when the muscles close in on themselves and cut off the oxygen".

"So, they had to cut me open on either side of my leg while I was in a coma, and from my knee to my hip, and leave it open for two days, so they could save my leg," he shared. "I am so grateful to be here. It is such a gift."

To conclude, Porter insisted he had learned a lot from the near-death experience.

"And as I sat in my hospital bed, reflecting, there were a couple of things I heard. The first thing I heard was: Work smarter, not harder. The second thing I heard was: Be obedient and answer the call. And the third thing I heard was: Don't you ever stop telling the truth again. I unconsciously silenced myself for fear that I wouldn't be on the A-list anymore," he added.