Quinton Aaron, the New York actor best known for portraying Michael Oher in the Academy Award-nominated movie “The Blind Side,” is now fighting for his life.
The 6’8″ Aaron collapsed in his Atlanta-area home, according to his wife, Margarita, who relayed the information to TMZ. He had previously complained of feeling pain in his back and neck and when he attempted to walk up the stairs, he lost feeling in his legs and fell. Margarita, a registered nurse, helped him up the stairs but later called 911 as her husband slipped in and out of consciousness.
Aaron has remained hospitalized ever since, where doctors determined he had a blood infection, but he is showing signs of improvement. Despite being on life support, Margarita says her husband is partially breathing on his own.
“He’s showing a lot of improvement,” she said. “We all have faith in God that he will walk out of here fully recovered.”
A GoFundMe page was launched for Aaron and has raised over $10,000 at the time of publication.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Aaron’s manager, Katrina Fristoe, said her client is receiving “excellent care” and that his family is appreciative of the outpouring of kindness.
“The family deeply appreciates the outpouring of support from fans and the media but respectfully requests privacy during this time,” she said.
The actor made his big-screen debut in the 2008 film “Be Kind Rewind,” but became a star overnight because of “The Blind Side,” a film inspired by the story of Oher, a then-unknown football prospect in Memphis taken in by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, who later gets drafted into the NFL. Sandra Bullock, who played Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film, won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Last October, Aaron shared a weight loss update on Instagram, revealing that he had shed over 200 pounds from his heaviest weight of 575 down to 375.
