This is the true story of my eyes. We must go back to Oct 2005, when the Latin Legends band performed on the Salas Cruise out of Puerto Rico into the Caribbean. About half way through the cruise, I was waiting on line for the dining room to open, when I suddenly started seeing flashes of light in my left eye. This went on for about fifteen minuets and then my eye went blank. All I could see was a white cloud. It frightened me, for I had never experienced anything like this in my life. We continued the cruise, having fun and playing salsa music. I could see fine from my right eye and was able to function, but I was very concerned for we had a few days left until our return to San Juan and a connecting flight to New York.

Upon my return to the big apple, I went to my regular eye doctor , who referred me to a retina specialist named Sergio Marcus. Dr. Marcus, a brilliant doctor, examined me are diagnosed a hole in my retina. After about 20 laser blasts, he closed the hole and I could see again. This was not fun. I had had no depth perception or peripheral vision and it was difficult time for me. I continued performing and playing around the world..

We now pass to Feb 14th 2007,Valentines Day. I was leaving for San Juan to perform for Frank Ferrer’s Festival de los Soneros for two shows. There was a very bad ice storm in New York and Jimmy Sabater, Mr. and Mrs. Tito Allan and Frankie Vasquez and I were flying together on Jet Blue to the island. We boarded our flight, taxied out to get de-iced and waited 3 hrs until the pilot announced that JFK airport was being shutdown due to icy runways.. We remained on the plane another 3 hrs until we taxied back to the terminal. There we waited to see if we were going to take off again. No luck, all flights were cancelled. Now we went to get our bags and the baggage belt was frozen. We waited 4 more hours until they were delivered by hand. I taxied my way back to the city and waited for PR promoters to get us a flight for the next day. At midnight I was told we would be on a Delta flight in the morning. So after a brief sleep taxied back to JFK where there were thousands of people trying to get on flights that were cancelled the day before.. The lines were so long thet I could not get on my scheduled flight.. After 3 hrs on line I was put on a 5;30pm flight on standby. I did not know if my bags would make it.. So we had to wait a few more hours. Frankie, Jimmy and I went to a restaurant to get some food. As I was sitting there I rubbed my left eye and it went blank again.. What to do??? That was the question. In was in no pain and had had these symptoms before, so I decided to go to PR. When I arrived I took a cab to the hotel in Old San Juan and found out I was on a 4th floor walkup in a boutique hotel. My suitcase was 60 lbs and I could not lift this for 4 flights.. One of the hotel staff carried it up for me.

I played the 2 concerts without sight on my left side. . I made my way back to NYC and made an appointment with Dr Marcus for Tuesday, for Monday was Presidents day and no respectful doctor would be working. After my initial exam , I was told that I had a massive hemorrhage in my eye and that there was no retinal damage, just broken blood vessels. My eye looked perfectly normal but inside there was a lot of blood. I continued treatments and doctor visits weekly, and was told that the body will absorb the blood naturally in several weeks.. I went about all my daily chores and business with one eye. After 3 months of no relief and no exercise, I was tired of waiting and elected to have surgery on the eye to clean it up. I was assured that there was no retinal damage and that the operation was fairly simple. By inserting 2 large needles on either side of the eye, one with a light and suction and the other with a laser he can fix it up. We scheduled May 22nd for the surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC.

After all the paper work at 11am, I was admitted for out patient surgery. I was prepped, stripped of my clothes and given drops in my eye. This is all after taking blood tests, urine tests, EKG and a chest x-ray a few days before. Then I waited for my turn. At 2 PM I went into the operating room. I had a blood pressure kit on my right arm and the intravenous drip on my left arm and was strapped on the table. I could feel no pain, some pressure on the eye ball but was awake and hearing everything that was going on.. This simple operation turned into a 2-1/2 hr production, during which there was some equipment failure not once, but twice. I was bandaged and told that there was a hole in my retina, probably from the same tear as the year before. The blood in my eye was almost yellow and almost hard . It was old blood. Dr Marcus said all went well. I went to recovery and waited for Wendy to get me and take me home.

I slept ok and tried to rest up . The next morning Dr Marcus and his nurses removed the bandages and cleaned up my eye. I was given several different drops to put in several times a day and was told that a gas bubble was injected into my eye to hold everything in place and I was not able to fly on a plane or go anywhere where there is high altitude. Well I almost fainted for I was scheduled to perform in San Juan in 2 weeks time and then in Bogota and Medellin Colombia. What do I do now. There were contracts to fulfill. I was in a panic, for I had a contract to perform at the So Street Seaport, on Thursday June 7th for the opening of the PR parade weekend, and was supposed to fly with the band to San Juan the next morning to play the 10th Anniversary of the Museum of Art at the Ritz Carlton on Sat June 9th.. Then back to NYC and fly out again Thursday to Bogota and on to Medellin with the Latin Jazz Encounter band. I decided to find alternate passage to San Juan. I searched the internet for cruises and boat transportation to the island. Brother Andy and cousin Albert were helpful in finding a Carnival Cruise that left NYC on Monday afternoon and arrived in San Juan on Thursday afternoon at 3pm. If I booked this I would get here on time and stay a week in San Juan hoping that the gas bubble would be gone by the time I had to to Colombia fly and Bogota, 8000 ft above sea level. BUT, I would have to miss the Seaport show on Thursday June 7th. I immediately Called Ralph Paniagua, the producer of the show and explained the situation. He was NOT happy. The advertising was already released and the public wanted to see me perform with Yomo, Adalberto, Michael Stuart and the Latin Legends Band. I pleaded with him and tried to make him understand that I have NEVER in 42 years of performing, missed a show. This was a medical emergency. He did not understand but was kind enough to let me out of the performance and keep the musicians, minus a few thousand dollars. I immediately booked a cabin on the Carnival Miracle, leaving NYC for San Juan and told them that I would be leaving the ship in Puerto Rico and not returning so they did not think I fell overboard .

So here I am writing this chapter about these weird few months of my life. I am in my 3rd day at sea and tomorrow I will disembark in San Juan. Have to get my land legs back. The bubble is about 15% and I believe it will be gone by the time I have to fly next week to Colombia... What a three months! All will be well and EYE can see again! The EYES have it!!!!!

Larry Harlow