"It's a medical miracle" Philipp Fankhauser is healthy and back on stage

Philipp Fankhauser is feeling "excellent" after his bone marrow transplant. The musician took a longer break and is now fully recovered - may he play his concerts with ease.

Philipp Fankhauser (60)'s time out due to illness is over. In June last year, the blues musician announced that he was retiring from the stage because he had already been diagnosed with a bone marrow disease in 2006. However, his condition deteriorated drastically two years ago.

He has now fully recovered from the stem cell treatment and feels "excellent", as he tells the "Aargauer Zeitung " newspaper.

Blues singer is healthy againPhilipp Fankhauser: "The illness is gone"

Fankhauser says that he hardly received any oxygen before his transplant - his spinal cord only produces around half as many red blood cells as normal, the hospital tells him.

"Maybe my donor was a teetotaler"

Despite the bone marrow transplant, success was not guaranteed and his condition could worsen as a result: "The doctors radiated confidence, which was transferred to me," he says.

"It's a medical miracle. I am completely healthy." He noticed some surprising changes in his body as a result of the treatment and recovery. He has more energy than he has had for decades. Fankhauser has also lost 20 kilos and his eating habits have also changed: "I hardly eat cooked ham anymore, but I used to love it."

He also no longer craves alcohol as much as he used to, he jokes: "Maybe my donor was a teetotaller."

As announced before the bone marrow transplant, he is now back on stage - and can play through the concerts without any problems. The goal? 100 concerts a year - an album is also just around the corner, due to be released in 2025.

More from the Entertainment section