When I was hosting Ring Fever, I met thousands of people who loved wrestling. Some of the people I met I interviewed for my show, some were featured in crowd shots – and some became members of the “Ring Fever Crew.” One particular individual I met was “Captain” Ivan Rothstein, who loves wrestling more than anyone I know – even me. In addition to being a life-long, die-hard wrestling fan, Ivan works in the business as well, always assisting the WWE when they have shows at Madison Square Garden.

When Ivan was on my show, he was always the target of jokes and gags. One very memorable one was when Ivan guest hosted the show and interviewed WWE Superstar William Regal – who perfectly ripped Ivan a new one on camera, which made for probably one of our best episodes to date. But no matter the gag, Ivan always knew that it was all in good fun and that we were joking with him.

What is not a joke is that Ivan is currently in the Intensive Care Unit of Maimonides Hospital in critical but stable condition.

Recently, Ivan had a massive heart attack that nearly took his life. Not only was his brain without oxygen for close to fifteen minutes, but there is fear that he might have sustained permanent damage to his brain as a result of the oxygen deprivation. As I write this column, Ivan is on a ventilator and will be fitted with a feeding tube because he is unable to feed himself.

I just came back from visiting Ivan in the hospital and I must say that it was not easy. As soon as I saw him, I broke down and when I tried to talk to him, I couldn’t keep from crying. When I said his name, he opened his eyes and looked at me – and when I told him that he is going to be fine – he started to cry. I can’t imagine what he is going through and wish that it never happened to him. To see him lying there connected to all those machines was very upsetting. I would give anything to have the old Ivan back – and I am sure many, many people would agree with me.

I spoke to his mother at the hospital and she told me that he is showing signs of improvement and that the doctors are happy with his progress. But unfortunately, he has a long road of rehabilitation ahead of him and there is no way of knowing at this point if he will make a full recovery. I told her that I would pray for him and to call me if she needs anything.

Despite the fact that I ribbed him on my show all the time, I do consider Ivan to be one of my close friends. I always invited him to my house for parties and called him as often as I could just to say hi. And despite the fact that we lost contact in the last year, I still often thought of Ivan, especially when I saw his name on various wrestling sites. All I know is that when he gets better – and I do mean when – I will make it a point to see Ivan as often as I can. He will need all the support he can get during his rough road ahead and I will make sure that I am there for him – just like a friend should be.

Get well soon Ivan – I’ll be praying for you.