In 1999, Lakey began to suffer chronic health issues from overexposure to toxins in paint, resulting in multiple and ongoing surgeries, and took a hiatus from his painting, while focusing upon other outlets for his art, developing the "Unencountered" characters, including books of abstract art-poems ("Nursing Piranhas, and Other Bedtime Stories For Grownups"). He still continues to paint, but wears protective gear for health reasons. Other projects that will take him out of the restricted studio soon will include sculpture, drawing, design and producing independent films.

By his late twenties, Lakey was working in auto sales, but in his personal life he had succumbed to substance abuse, and in 1986 he suffered a near-fatal drug overdose during a New Year's Eve party. Lakey made a vow to change and do something positive with his life to help people. "Almost immediately I felt a swirling sensation around my feet. I started to see the images of angels, and this sensation kept going around me, faster and faster, these angels came towards me and I felt protected. I could have been hallucinating – I felt my body dying, and as this twirling experience happened around my feet, I just felt a sense of peace." The next day, he quit "cold turkey" and replaced drugs with drawing pictures from his experience.

In October 1989, on his 30th birthday, Lakey resolved to become a professional artist. This experience on New Year's Eve 1986 had made such an impression on him that his entire life focus changed. After drawing for almost three straight years, he announced to his employer that he was leaving his auto sales job to pursue a full-time career as an artist, for which he had received no formal training or neither pursued seriously before that time. Lakey’s start was rough, and he admits to nearly giving up within 3 months, after receiving rejections from many galleries he solicited with his early works.

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