Recently, doctors discovered another artery that’s only at 75% capacity, so now they’re looking to fix that issue, too.Īll these health problems could weigh Dean down. Since then, Dean’s condition has greatly improved, but they still have to closely monitor his health situation. While most people have two tubular arteries, Dean’s condition meant he only had one, and since it wasn’t working properly, doctors had to put a stent in. It turns out that a condition Dean was born with caused his tubular artery to clamp, restricting blood flow to his brain. After some observation, the medical staff confirmed the cause: Dean had a stroke. The Hopper family called their doctor, who warned them Dean might have had an aneurysm and told them to get to a hospital immediately. But then, while touring near the Rocky Mountains, the double vision came back, this time worse than before.

The dizziness seemed to go away-at least for a little while. “My brother and my daughter are looking at me like, ‘Are you OK?’ The next night, I was in my library office at home, and the bookcase started to sway again.” “The walls and the bookcases started to sway like a palm tree,” he says.

He was just about to go set up the sound equipment for The Hoppers’ next gig when he had the worst vertigo he’d ever experienced. It was a recipe for stress-induced disaster. And not only was he trying to finish a record for Bill Gaither, but Dean also had his own business, a workout gym that was costing more than it was making. He was responsible for scheduling dates for The Hoppers-his family’s award-winning Gospel music group-which was a frenzied task during their Christmas tour. It was December 2016, and lead vocalist Dean Hopper was stressed out.

Connie hopper