Swallowing swords always comes with a risk.
Explaining what happened, Steele shared that during the trick he pushes 13 swords “down into my esophagus, and then I spin them 180 degrees and pull them out.”
“Well, instead of pushing through that, I pushed through the side wall of my esophagus and pushed it 16 inches down into my chest cavity, and then spun it 180 degrees,” he continued, adding that “it’s a miracle” he only perforated his esophagus and “somehow avoided hurting any of my internal organs.”
He went on to share that before the accident, he’d had an “exhausting day” and had already done two other gigs. Then, when he actually went to do the trick, as the venue had “very low ceilings,” he dropped to one knee to swallow the swords, which changed the angle of the trick.
Steele toldChannel 2 Action Newsthat he’d successfully performed the trick many times over the past 10 years — but that doesn’t make the trick any less dangerous to pull off.
“You know the possibility is out there, and then when it happens you know how dangerous and bad it could be,” he told the outlet.
Although Steele’s organs narrowly missed getting punctured, he continues to suffer from internal bleeding, theAtlanta Journal Constitutionreported.
Steele, who has competed onAmerica’s Got Talentalongside his wife Elaina Steele, told CBC Radio that he is “recovering well” and that “doctors are saying I am making some progress.”
Despite his scary injury, Steele, who has been swallowing swords for 10 years, added that he would “absolutely” return to performing the trick as soon as he recovered.
“It’s what I was born to do,” he shared, adding that he had “too much unfinished work” to quit.
AGoFundMe pagehas been created to help fund Steele’s recovery process. So far, over $6,000 has been raised.
source: people.com
