Muni Long on Lupus, Life-Saving Lung Surgery & Being Misunderstood

The InnerMission Podcast ❤️

Muni Long opens up about her harrowing battle with severe lupus, including a doctor telling her she had one week to live and moments where her heart stopped in the ICU before

Key takeaways

• Muni Long was told by a doctor she had one week to live due to lupus complications before undergoing a lung transplant.
• She nearly died twice in the hospital, including when her heart stopped for ten seconds during ICU rounds while on ECMO life support.

Main topics

• Lupus diagnosis & lung transplant
• Near-death experience in the ICU

Notable quotes

"If I didn't have my little one, I probably would have been like, OK, bye y'all."

Conclusion

Long's candid reflections on surviving a life-threatening illness and

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Hair long, money long. I Speaker 1 (0:02) said, oh, Speaker 2 (0:02) there it is. You've been through so much. Yes. Girl, moment of silence. I mean, for a doctor to say Speaker 1 (0:12) to you, you got one week to live. I was in so much pain. I didn't really care. Like, I was not desperate for life. If somebody asked me for a picture, I'd do it. Sometimes people have even asked me in the hospital. In the high-spella, girl. Not when you're on Speaker 2 (0:30) your last seven days, girl. Are you dating? Speaker 1 (0:34) I'm just having fun. Speaker 2 (0:35) So, Akeem is not a thing. Speaker 1 (0:38) Yours, mine, ours. You're going to dissolve the power. Speaker 2 (0:52) Hello? Speaker 1 (0:53) Yeehee! I heard somebody was looking for some money. Speaker 2 (0:56) Twin, where have you been? Speaker 1 (0:58) I'm outside, Twin. Come on in, girl! Speaker 2 (1:12) Uh, yippee! Speaker 2 (1:16) I'm so glad you are here. My Virgo Southern Grammy Award winning sister. Is it love? Speaker 1 (1:23) You Speaker 2 (1:24) have made it to the crib. And everyone knows the first question that we ask here on my podcast is the origin of your name. Now, you have two that I want to know about. I'm going to start with Money Long and how you got the name Money Long. Speaker 1 (1:37) Money Long is an affirmation, kind of like a word also. Like, it's for me, but also like anytime anyone says my name, I will. be prosperous and abundant and make money you know be well taken care of you love that but i was researching one day i was really on my healing journey from like like inner work self well you're on the right podcast for that yes yeah i like to call it um i was just like brainwashing myself like literally washing my brain Speaker 2 (2:14) from Speaker 1 (2:15) all the old stuff All the like, you know, you can't, you're not, you'll never. Speaker 2 (2:22) And so during that Speaker 1 (2:23) time, I was doing my research one day and I found some literature about this ancient sage, but it was spelled M-U-N-I with the accent marks over the U. The story, like, I don't even remember what I was looking up, but the story basically was like he meditated for so long. until he reached nirvana like he sat so long that people thought he was a statue um Speaker 1 (2:49) And it really resonated with me because I really struggled with sitting still. Speaker 2 (2:54) And Speaker 1 (2:55) so I was like, oh, I like this name. And then I was told, well, you should pronounce it money, not moony. And when I looked it up, there was nothing. I looked up money album, money lyrics, money songs, nothing. But it was literally zero pages. You know how when you Google how many O's it is? It was none. Speaker 2 (3:17) It was for you. Zero Speaker 1 (3:18) search results. So I remember that in 2019. And now if you put money, there's so many things that come up. So like there's so many other artists with the name. Wow. It's amazing to know like, you know, whether anybody believes me. I remember that. I looked it up. There was nothing that existed prior to 2019. And then, you know, it was just money for a while. And my team was like, money needs a last name. And so I was sitting there like, you know, Money Smith, Money Gold, Money Johnson. Money Gold Speaker 2 (3:48) ain't bad either. I like that. Speaker 1 (3:50) Money Diamond. Like, I'm using all these names. Money Diamond. Speaker 2 (3:53) And Speaker 1 (3:53) then one day I'm just driving, listening to 2 Chainz. And he's like, hair long. Money Long. I said, oh! There it is. Because I used to always wear the middle part bust down. Yes! Jet black middle part bust down. So my hair was always super long. I was like, that's me right there. I love that. And he's also a Virgo, so shout out to you. Shout Speaker 2 (4:13) out, the Virgos. I love that. That's a great story. And I love the depth of how you came to that name, too. Just couldn't stay still, but this was something that grounded you and always does pour into you. I think it's super dope. So now we got to get into that government name. Priscilla Renee Hamilton. Speaker 1 (4:34) Talk Speaker 2 (4:34) to me about that. Speaker 1 (4:36) So... I was named after my two aunts. I have an Aunt Priscilla and an Aunt Renee. Speaker 2 (4:42) Okay. On both sides? No, it's both of Speaker 1 (4:44) my mom's brothers. Speaker 2 (4:46) Okay. Speaker 1 (4:47) And so I was named after them. They were my mom's best sister-in-laws. Okay. And... Speaker 1 (4:55) Priscilla means ancient. Speaker 2 (4:57) So Speaker 1 (4:58) like I definitely haven't also been here before. Yeah. Yeah. Always grew up like thinking I was a princess and wanting to be a queen. Love that. Speaker 2 (5:06) Love that. Speaker 1 (5:07) Really like into all things medieval. Like for whatever reason, I'm just I really gravitate towards that time period. Any sort of like period piece, Romeo and Juliet type thing. I love. Speaker 1 (5:23) And then, yeah, Speaker 2 (5:23) that Speaker 1 (5:23) is just my Hamilton is just my dad's, my biological father's last name. Scottish origin, which also happens to be Nivea and Normani's last name. So we'd be, I'd be feeling like, you know, we related, we cousins. Yes. Yeah, you know, hey, cuz. You know, Speaker 2 (5:41) I got to say Niecy Nash and Sterling K. Brown are my cousins. So, yeah. You know Speaker 1 (5:45) what's funny is I feel like, like, celebrities always have somebody. Because Flo Rida is also my cousin. What? Yes. Speaker 2 (5:54) That's Speaker 1 (5:54) crazy. So Speaker 2 (5:56) now we're talking about peeling back the layers of, you know, our people. I want to peel back the layers of you. And I just wanted to talk a little bit about the fact that you've been through so much. Yes. Girl, moment of silence. I mean, it's hilarious. From like motherhood to the climb of being the incredible artist that you are to separation and marriages. I mean, to literally almost losing your life. So I want to pose this question to you. You're handed a mic and you're told to give a TED Talk for 10 minutes. What topic are you choosing to speak about and lecture on? Speaker 1 (6:38) I would talk about my near-death experience. I would talk about... Um, I'm over here breaking stuff. I done broke my little bracelet. That's what happens when you buy something from Timo, honey. It's cute, though. Speaker 1 (6:52) She gonna be one and done. No, I would talk about my near-death experience. I would just talk about how your evolutionary process is never done and just like how people... like the idea of like People will love you. Speaker 1 (7:12) in silence until they feel like you're gone or you you know they can't reach you anymore and then that's when they you know I never had so much love expressed vocally until after people found out that I almost died which is crazy it's like oh this is how you this is how you guys feel so it's like you know just that weird haze of like low-key like attending your own funeral kind of Speaker 2 (7:42) thing. And Speaker 1 (7:42) what that does to you, like what it does to you mentally. What did it do to Speaker 2 (7:46) you? What did it feel like? This is very Speaker 1 (7:47) liberating. Like I don't look at life the same way at all. And it's slightly frustrating because unless you have been in that situation or in that position, there's nothing that I could explain to you guys of what it's like, how peaceful I felt, and just how you realize like, okay, like I got it. Like this is all a program. It's all. Speaker 2 (8:08) Talk to me about the program. Because I'm so like for a doctor to say to you in your 30s, in your 30s, you got one week to live and you have a child. Speaker 2 (8:23) What do you say Speaker 1 (8:25) to that? Like what are you what's going on in your mind? If I didn't have my little one, I probably would have been like, OK, Speaker 2 (8:31) bye y Speaker 1 (8:32) 'all. Like because it's just I wasn't so much pain and I didn't really care what happened. Like I was not desperate for life. You Speaker 2 (8:42) know, I Speaker 1 (8:43) wasn't like I've lived a really beautiful life Speaker 2 (8:45) at Speaker 1 (8:46) 30 years, eight years old. I've been all over the world. I've accomplished a lot of the dreams that I had as a kid. And so if I did go, I had a good time. And I really was not scared or sad or anything like that because I have a little one. I was like, no, I can't leave him yet. Like he he needs mommy. Speaker 2 (9:08) He Speaker 1 (9:08) needs me to guide him. Yeah, because I don't there's not a lot of people who I trust to be able to to hold his hand Speaker 2 (9:16) throughout Speaker 1 (9:17) life. Speaker 1 (9:19) But other than that, like, I mean, what can you really do? It's like when you up in the air in a plane, if it's going down, it just is. Girl, I'd Speaker 2 (9:26) be panicking. I'd be in that plane like this. I really do. Speaker 1 (9:29) I'd be taking deep breaths, girl. I'm trying to get to that Speaker 2 (9:32) point. Like, because life is going to take you wherever it takes you. And we all know that there's an expiration date. But I just feel like there's just so much more to this thing that I want to experience everything. And I can only imagine when. You have been told that by a doctor to feel like, I mean, well, you've expressed how you felt about it, but just to feel like this could really be the end of the road. Well, I also Speaker 1 (9:58) am always, like, in problem-solving mode, always. So I'm just like, okay, what can we do about it? Like what what are my options? Speaker 2 (10:06) Yeah, and Speaker 1 (10:07) I only had to which was get new lungs or go to hospice Mm-hmm. That was it. I was like, okay. I was laughing at a lot of stuff and I heard Speaker 2 (10:15) you was making jokes. Yeah, that's rude Yeah, Speaker 1 (10:17) they was kind of looking at me like okay like they sent the psych people to come talk to me and stuff Just to make sure I was cool. I was like guys, there's there's nothing I can do about it. You Speaker 2 (10:27) did tour first though And when you did that tour was there this conflict within yourself of like? Should I do this tour? Should I not? Because my body is telling me no, but my mind is telling me yes. Was your mind telling you yes because of your son? My Speaker 1 (10:44) circumstances were dictating. Like, I had so much stuff going on, just, like, legal issues and just so much pressure. And, like, nobody, you know, with lupus and what I was dealing with is invisible. Like, you can't really, you can't see it. Like, you need CAT scans and MRIs. And so, you know, the people who I was litigating, they kept saying I was faking. Speaker 2 (11:07) That's wild. Yeah, Speaker 1 (11:08) so I'm like having to deal with that. People, you know, trying to get my medical records and all this stuff. And I was really sick for a really long time from 2019 until my transplant. So I was in and out of the hospital, you know, passing out, like, you know, fainting in public and things like that. And just having people trying to exploit that for their own material gain, it was a lot of pressure. And so I was like, I have to do this tour because I have all these financial obligations. I never want to be in that situation again where I have to risk my life, literally my life for satisfying, you know, other people. And so, yeah, it was very difficult for me to continue on every day. I mean, a lot of... A couple of days I was back there on that couch like, just five minutes, please, please, I can't, I can't, like crawling to the stage. Yeah. But, you know, I got through it as best I could. Speaker 2 (12:07) Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm glad that you did get through it. I'm glad that I can see those beautiful bright eyes in front of me with this hair that's laid down to the gauze, honey. Oh, Speaker 1 (12:17) thank you. Speaker 2 (12:17) Because I am truly a fan of yours. But the reason I've been such a fan is obviously you're super talented, but like, I just see so much of myself in you when it comes to like the grind of like loving what you do and wanting to get to the thing and just the respect that you have for the craft. You know, you truly are a wordsmith. It's insane. Thank you. So I just, I just, I don't know. Like I've always, your hustle, like the way that you just are like, no, I'm getting to this and nobody can tell me. Otherwise, but I know that it hasn't always been that way you haven't always had that freedom or have given yourself that freedom So like what has that been for you to do you feel like now you have? Found freedom in this industry or do you feel like I'm still trying to figure this shit out I mean, Speaker 1 (13:12) I think we all are I think we're all just trying to figure it out and we some of us are blessed enough to like make some stuff up and bend the rules and then it becomes like status quo and We get to continue operating in that formula, which I was doing that for a little minute as far as R &B and being independent and how my success early on as Money Long really sort of shifted how a lot of other artists were operating. There were a few people who were on the precipice of just like, what's going to happen? Are there any superstars left? Is music... You know, is the music industry dying? Like all those questions were being asked. This was in COVID times. Like nobody knew what touring was going to do. And the touring industry was quote unquote Speaker 2 (14:00) dead. And, you Speaker 1 (14:01) know, I came out of COVID and did two arena tours. One opening up for Chris Brown and opening up for Brandy and Monica. And so it's like nobody really knows what is about to happen, you know, a year down the line to the industry. shifting and changing so fast but um I don't know. I just be doing stuff, really. I just like to try. Try Speaker 2 (14:27) stuff. Which I think has been cool watching your journey with that, too. I feel like you're shifting what it is to be a black woman in this industry. Like, I know that you started in country music, too. And, like, even when I watch your