‘The scariest moment of my life’: Hailey Bieber opens up about her mini stroke
The model and wife of pop star Justin Bieber experienced stroke-like symptoms in March that led to the discovery that she has a hole in her heart.
Hailey Bieber arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
More than a month after news broke that Hailey Bieber was hospitalised for stroke-like symptoms, the model and wife of pop star Justin Bieber has opened up about the traumatic experience.
She posted a video to her YouTube channel on Wednesday (Apr 27) to explain in her own words what happened during the health scare that occurred on Mar 12.
She shared that she had a transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini stroke, that was caused by a blood clot that travelled from a hole in her heart to her brain.
In the video, Hailey Bieber recounted that she was having a “normal day" at breakfast with her husband when she suddenly started experiencing a “weird” numbing sensation in her fingertips, running through her whole arm.
"The right side of my face started drooping, I couldn't get a sentence out," she recalled. "Immediately, I thought I was having a stroke.”
She described it as “definitely the scariest moment of my life”.
Most of her symptoms were only temporary and she was “pretty much back to normal” by the time she reached the emergency room.
The 25-year-old said that doctors came to the conclusion that the episode could have been caused by three contributing factors: Her taking birth control pills without consulting a doctor, which was exacerbated because she suffers from migraines; she recently had COVID-19 and she had been on long flights to Paris and back without wearing compression socks or getting up to move around during the flight.
Hailey Bieber further shared that following several tests, she was diagnosed with a Grade 5 PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale) – a small opening between the right and left atrium of the heart.
She was later hospitalised again to undergo a procedure to close the hole, which was around 12mm to 13mm.
She thanked fans for their concern and assured everyone that she was doing better.
"I just feel really relieved that we were able to figure everything out, that we were able to get it closed, that I will be able to move on from this really scary situation and just live my life."
The model also shared some resources together with the video for those who want to learn more about stroke awareness, cardiovascular health and more.
