He vows he will return to show business in some form, some day. “The animals are waiting, too, to do something again.”

The public’s affection for Siegfried & Roy has not waned in the three years away from the footlights. They still draw standing ovations when they appear at public events, his trips to the Secret Garden always draw fans, and Roy relishes the crowd interaction. He takes in movies and dines with friends, goes shopping at the Fashion Show Mall.

He likes to go horseback riding in the desert “because it’s therapeutic for me.” And he loves his trips to Little Bavaria, a wooded sanctuary on the outskirts of Las Vegas, where he goes to feed his ducks and swans, keeping a wary eye on a 28-year-old donkey who, he says, “will kick you in the butt” if given the opportunity.

How did he survive when doctors had no hope? Horn smiles. “The guy upstairs wasn’t ready. They know I’m trouble. They’ve heard about me. They were not ready for that yet.” Therapists continue grueling sessions to strengthen Horn’s left arm and left leg, savaged by the stroke. And speech therapists continue to work with him.

His goal: “To be independent. To get back my freedom,” Horn said. “When something like this happens, you lose all your freedom; you lose your dignity. That’s tough for me.”

And he has a message for those who offered up a multitude of prayers.

“I’m very grateful for their support,” he said. “My goal is to pay them back. My goal is full
recovery. I promise, I will be dancing again.”

In the three years since his brush with death, Roy Horn has proven that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.