Priscilla Presley has opened up about almost losing her son, Navarone Garcia, just days before daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s untimely death in January 2023. The family had been visiting an animal sanctuary owned by a family friend, when Navarone sustained a near-fatal camel bite. "We were petting them, and the next thing that happened was the camel bit him in the head," Priscilla told People. "There was blood spurting everywhere. The blood was covering Navarone’s face. I’m literally freaking out. I thought I was going to lose him, for sure."
The camel finally let go of Navarone's head when a dog on the property lunged at the animal. Navarone, 38, was then rushed to the hospital, where the gash on his head was treated with 34 staples.
"He was very, very lucky I was told," Priscilla continued. "The doctor said [the camel's tooth almost hit] his brain. So, he's not around any more camels. Neither am I."
© Getty ImagesPriscilla’s daughter Lisa Marie died tragically just days later at age 54, due to a small bowel obstruction that developed after bariatric surgery years prior. Priscilla shared that she couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to have to grieve both of her children.
"My heart would be totally broken," she said. "When I lost Lisa, I thought, 'I'm not going to be able to get through this.' But I realized I have a son that needs me. As a mom you have to be there for your children."
© Getty ImagesPriscilla also shared how she helped her son overcome drug addiction. Two weeks after Priscilla's grandson Benjamin Keough, the son of Lisa Marie and her ex-husband Danny Keough, was buried following his death by suicide at age 27 in 2020, Navarone asked Priscilla to help him beat a fentanyl addiction.
“He stayed at my home and I slept with him every night, and he had withdrawals every night. I don't wish that on anyone because there's really nothing you can do. You can't give them more drugs, that's for sure. They have to go through it.
© Getty Images"I would be in bed with him, and he'd say, 'My legs hurt, my legs hurt,'" Priscilla shared. "I'd get up and massage his legs. Now I know what it's like with someone who goes through withdrawal. It's horrible. A lot of people can't get through it and go right back to it. It was hard.
"He's been sober ever since, so I'm really happy for him," she says. "He's in a good place. We made it," the 80-year-old said.
Priscilla’s autobiography, Softly, As I Leave You: Life after Elvis is set to be released on September 23.
