Los Angeles native and underground hip-hop staple, Alejandro Ocana, better known as 2Mex, was getting ready to get out of St. Bernadine's Medical Center and into rehabilitation when he picked up the phone. After a long, grueling month at the San Bernardino hospital, where he almost lost his life, he spoke of how lucky he is to be leaving at all.
Essentially an undiagnosed diabetic, Ocana was admitted to the hospital with a blood sugar of 700, which is extremely dangerous. Normal blood sugar numbers should range between 80 and 140. Thankfully, doctors were able to save his life, but couldn’t save his lower right leg. Ocana is now tasked with the overwhelming chore of learning how to walk again and using a prosthetic, but with his propitious attitude and sea of support, it’s nothing he can’t handle.
Once he learns how to walk again, his plan is to not only continue his musical journey, but also educate kids about the dangers of not taking your health seriously.
As part of The Visionaries, Of Mexican Decent, Look Daggers (along with the late Ikey Owens), and The Mind Clouders, he’s amassed a vast body of work and he’s no where near done. While he continues to heal, Ocana graciously took some time to talk about his current situation and what’s going to happen in the near future.
RAPstation (Kyle Eustice): I am glad you’re getting to go home.
2Mex: I still have to heal for six to eight weeks, but yeah, it will be nice to be home.
What happened initially that led you to the hospital?
I was basically an undiagnosed diabetic. My left foot ballooned to the size of a football and it was killing me. For a couple days, I didn’t do anything about it; I was just trying to heal it myself. The night before, I could start feeling myself deteriorating, so I decided to go to the hospital. That night, I was rubbing on it to get the swelling down and it split open—like gangrene. Then I came to the hospital and they did this thing called debriefing where they tried to scrap it all off, but I knew they were going to amputate it. We all knew. Three or four days later, they amputated it and I’m here, recovering and doing physical therapy.
I heard it was pretty touch and go.
I didn’t know, but I had a 700 blood sugar. I guess that’s pretty high.
Yes, that’s really high! Now you have to adapt to the amputation, but also to having diabetes.
Exactly, and I have to learn how to walk again—all kinds of shit. I’ll be ok.
How are you handling it mentally?
Oh, I’m fine. I have tons of support.
You super sound fine. I’m kind of blown away by your attitude right now.
Fuck this shit. I got it. I can’t roll over and die. That’s not going to happen.
What kind of changes are you going to make now?
Diet is the main thing. I’ve just to watch my portions and check my blood sugar every day, and learn all that stuff that goes along with that.
Are you Type II then?
I believe I am.
That’s easier to control. Do you think there’s a silver lining to all of this?
Oh I have to find one. The silver lining is I’m alive. I figure it’s just a change in lifestyle. I’m going to be fine. It’s an adjustment. I don’t have a bottom right leg. I’m more concerned about learning to walk again and managing the pain. I’m going to get my diet straight and all that. I have to get it to a nub, get the prosthetic and learn how to use it. I had someone that came here and told me they lost their dad to diabetes, and after he didn’t take care of himself. He kept eating McDonald’s and drinking. And she got pregnant and he told her he wouldn’t live to see to his grandson, and he didn’t. He died. I was like, ‘Wow, you’d rather eat McDonald’s and pizza, and drink beer than meet your grandson?’ I don’t drink alcohol either, so I’m going to be cool. I just have to learn to eat. I love food, you know? I can eat small portions. Moderation is key.
You’re alive, you can learn to walk again and that’s a blessing. Do you feel like it will affect your music career in any way?
Um…no. Absolutely not. I lost my leg, I didn’t lose my mind. Right now, it’s the topic of all my writings, but I want to get over that. I want to get it out of the way and get it all out. Nobody wants to hear an album about someone bitching about losing their leg. Right now, it’s on my mind, but pretty soon, I’m going to be done with that and just move back to the topics that are more important to me.
I like that you’ve been posting videos of all your friends and family coming to visit. How does it feel to have all this huge community rally around you?
It’s overwhelming, you know. When I make the videos, I make them for my family in Mexico because they want to keep updated on how I’m doing. Ten to 15 members of my family don’t use social media, but they got Instagram just to follow me. Then my friends coming over, that’s just to keep track of who comes to visit me. I have to make art somehow and that’s the only kind of art I can make right now.
If I was in LA, I would visit.
Aww, well the phone calls and reaching out all helps. There are still people that are barely finding out because they aren’t internet savvy.
What can we take from this whole situation?
Take your health seriously. When I get out and learn to walk, and get educated on diabetes, I’m going to try to talk to kids in school. If I have to be that person, I have to accept another role in life. I have to be that guy that goes to high schools and junior highs, and say, ‘Look, I’m a musician and have been all over the world, but I didn’t take care of myself.’ We’re pre-disposed to eat all that junk. It’s so weird to live in a world where we have to make a more conscious effort to eat better. Why should it be such an effort to try to find healthy food? I was watching a commercial for something and it said, “No this and no that, no growth hormones.’
Why is that something special?
Yeah, why is that a plus?
Or like, this has ‘real’ chicken or ‘real’ meat.
Exactly. I’m going to take a little bit of money from the Go Fund Me campaign and shoot a PSA, like a real good one, a real artistic one. I worked with the city before and I’m going to see what I can do.
What’s your daily life like there? Do they wake you up every hour?
They come at 7 a.m. to give me medicine and poke me, then 7:30 p.m. is breakfast, but I usually don’t eat it. Then I start physical therapy; they just keep coming every hour and a half to do shit to me.
Do you get phantom pains?
I got some last night for the first time, but they’ve been waning a lot more. It just happens.
I am blown away by your positive attitude.
I feel like I want to conquer the world. I got this.
