Lawrence at home, ready to get back on pace

The local group The Checkmates are playing at the French Club this weekend, but geolawrenceGeorge Lawrence says he doesn’t think he’ll be able to make it – just yet.

The five-term east Biloxi councilman was resting at home with family this afternoon, a day after he had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heart rhythm. He had the surgery after collapsing while dancing at grand opening party Saturday night at the new Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum.

“Somebody was watching me dance,” Lawrence said with a laugh, “and they thought I was trying a new move: a double inside spin, with a drop. The drop part was not supposed to be part of the move.”

Lawrence, a regular at Biloxi festivals, ribbon cuttings and other gatherings, said he was uninjured in the fall. “I was just dancing and just fell out. I didn’t hit my head or anything. My legs buckled and I went down. The spin move, with a drop.”

The councilman said he was already considering seeing a doctor to see if he needed a pacemaker. “I feel pretty good. It was just a pause in the heartbeat, and it just got too long.”

He said he’ll probably be sidelined for a few weeks because of restraints on his arms. “They don’t want you to raise your arms too much right after the surgery, but people who play golf who have had this tells me it takes about a month before you can do whatever you want to do.”