Former NASCAR driver Matt Tifft’s health issues continue. On Thursday, Tifft detailed via Twitter a seizure he suffered on Dec. 12 that has led to severe anxiety.
“Luckily, I had ‘seemed’ to restore to great health, and had seemed to return to ‘normal’ through this time,” Tifft said. “Unfortunately, on our honeymood, I suffered another seizure on Dec. 12. This one rocked me pretty badly, as I was conscious for a lot more of the onvulsions, and it really has taken everything in me to return to feeling somewhat ‘normal’ after this would haunt me of remembering the experience. Anxiety, PTSD, fear or whatever you call it of that seizure has played through my head nearly every day. Luckily, these last few weeks I’ve finally seen improvements after going to therapy and trying to ‘rewire’ my brain. It started of really rough where I could hardly leave my house withoug having intense anxiety and panic attacks about having another seizure, which I have never had in my life before.”
Health issues plagued Tifft throughout his NASCAR national-level career, ultimately prompting him to make the decision to step away from racing late last season. He was in his first full season in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2019 as driver of the #36 Front Row Motorsports Ford, but a seizure at Martinsville Speedway in Octobmer put him out of the car before season’s end.
Tifft also missed a significant portion of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, a year in which he had a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, to recover from surgery for the removal of a low-grade glioma, a non-cancerous tumor.
“I’m committed to ‘rewiring’ my brain and to restore my mental health,” Tifft said. “I’ve never suffered a mental illness before. Even with the brain tumor in 2016 and first seizure, I never had these effects. I never knew how debilitating it could feel to live with constant fear and anxiety. But now, I do see a light in this getting better; however, as I continue with this road to recovery with these issues and finding answers, I just wanted to make it known that my deepest sympathy goes out to those who deal with these issues on an everyday basis, and I can’t thank my wife, family and friends enough for their continued support.”
