The Curaçao crowd was wonderful - The gig was hard for me because I was sick and was broken hearted about Donna Summer's death

I've slept more in the past few days than I can ever remember. I've been very sick and I've had to marshal my strength for the extensive travel and concerts. Even with all the rest I got progressively worse. On the drive home from the airport today I felt so sick that I couldn't help but think "I Know That I'm Dying." I tried to think positively - but the phrase "I Know That I'm Dying" kept repeating in my head.

By the time I got home I was really sick. I had a racing pulse, shallow breath, and a fever of almost 104 degrees Fahrenheit. My housekeeper rushed me to the hospital. In the short trip to the emergency room my condition worsened. I was semi-delirious, could barely walk and was unstable, and was very lightheaded. It was at that moment I started forcing myself to repeat "I Know That I'm going to live."

They thoroughly tested me for everything possible because my vital signs had them extremely concerned, especially with my heart. They looked for a possible blood clot because they knew I'd been flying a lot. When they said that, I thought about the loss of Heavy D a few weeks ago. They started medicating me in this very professional environment - and the mantra "I Know That I'm going to live" got louder in my head.

After many hours of testing they finally came into the treatment room and said, "Mister Rodgers, you were very sick and your body did exactly what it was supposed to do - fight the infection." I was discharged around midnight and reflected on my two different states of mind during this traumatic day - "I Know That I'm going to live" and "I Know That I'm Dying."