‘Narcos’ Star Manuel Masalva Wakes From Coma After Near-Death Battle

"Narcos: Mexico" actor Manuel Masalva is lucky to be alive, and he knows it.

The 34-year-old star, known for playing Tijuana cartel enforcer Ramón Arellano Félix in the Netflix hit series, was placed into a medically-induced coma in early April after a terrifying health emergency overseas.

According to his manager, Manuel Masalva had just arrived in Dubai from the Philippines for vacation when things took a sudden and severe turn.

"(After) about two days in Dubai, Masalva began to feel internal discomfort and pain which increased by the day," his manager, Jaramillo Espinosa, told The Los Angeles Times earlier this year.

By late March, doctors performed emergency surgery and discovered that a bacterial infection had aggressively spread to his lungs. That's when they made the critical decision to induce a coma to try to save his life.

"Doctors have said that Manuel is responding to the treatment to attack the bacteria, and little by little his body is getting stronger," Masalva's agent told Entertainment Weekly at the time. "There is daily encouraging news, and it will be a matter of days or a couple of weeks before his health condition allows him to be taken off sedation and regain consciousness. For now, it is a matter of waiting, as it is a slow process."

Now, after more than three months, Masalva is finally sharing his journey, and he's calling it a second chance from above.

"I'm healing. I want to deeply thank each and every one of you for the support you've given me and continue to give me, throughout the ages," his statement, translated from Spanish, began. "I believe more than ever that unity is strength. This has just begun, there is still a long way to go, but I feel good, strong, reborn, and accompanied."

The actor, still recovering abroad, got emotional as he reflected on the journey so far.

"God has given us a new chance at life," he said. "God has given me a new life. 105 days today, but I'm awake and it's been raining light ever since."

He went on to describe the experience of waking up in a place far from home, surrounded by love and support. "What a place, I have been reborn, here, in another culture that has surpassed us in love and spirituality."

Still processing the trauma, Masalva admitted, "I don't know if I really understand all of this or just a part of it. It has been an eternity, and there are still some parts missing."

But one thing he's certain of? Gratitude. "I owe you my life; without you and the hand of God, this would not be real," he wrote.

Following his hospitalization earlier this year, the actor's family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the massive international medical costs, raising over 1 million pesos, equivalent to just under $58,000.

Masalva's longtime friend and fellow actor Mario Morán also shared a plea for support in early April.

"My brother is fighting for his life far from home. I want to ask for your help in this very difficult moment," Morán said in a video. "The medical costs are huge, and in a country where everything is even more difficult. Any help, however small it may seem, can make a difference in this difficult moment. If you are able to help, I would thank you with all of my heart."

Manuel Masalva is now awake, healing, and taking life one grateful step at a time.

Masalva has appeared in over a dozen film and television projects, including "Narcos: Mexico," a dramatized series centered around Mexico's drug trade.'

The series delves into the origins of Mexico's modern drug war, beginning in the early 1980s when small, fragmented marijuana operations dominated the drug trade. It follows the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel, led by Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna), who unites rival territories, known as plazas, to form a powerful and organized drug empire.

Meanwhile, DEA agent Kiki Camarena (Michael Peña) relocates his family to Guadalajara, only to find himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. After Camarena's brutal murder, the series shifts focus to agent Walt Breslin, who leads a covert DEA team into Mexico to bring Gallardo and his network to justice.

The show, which wrapped after three seasons in 2021, also starred Diego Luna, Michael Peña, and Tenoch Huerta Mejía.