Gregory Robinson
Hailey Bieber has reflected on surviving a mini-stroke one year on.
Describing the mini-stroke as a ‘life-changing event’, the model and media personality spoke about the incident on Instagram with pictures from last year reflecting on the frightening moment which led to her being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
“Can’t believe it’s been 1 year since I suffered a mini-stroke that led to my PFO diagnosis,” the 26-year-old said. Patent foramen ovale, or PFO for short, is a condition in which a hole in the heart does not close after birth.
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“Given that it’s the 1-year mark from such a life-changing event, I wanted to share all the information I’ve learned about PFO and share resources to donate,” she continued.
In the 12-minute video, the Rhode Skin founder said she remembered feeling a ‘weird sensation’ in her right arm and numbness in her fingertips.
Her popstar husband Justin Bieber, 29, noticed something was amiss and repeatedly asked if she was okay but she was unable to respond and ‘couldn’t speak’.
“The right side of my face started drooping, I couldn’t get a sentence out,” she recalled.
The Vogue cover girl said she was examined by a medic as she was unable to formulate words or answer basic questions like if she knew her name.
Bieber was kept in hospital overnight and doctors found she had a ‘very small blood clot’ on her brain which caused a ‘small lack of oxygen’.
She was relieved when doctors informed her that she scored a 0 on the stroke checklist in the ER and her symptoms eventually came to an end.
Bieber, who has a history of migraines, was told that she suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) which is more commonly known as a mini-stoke. She was told that the blood clot was most likely the result of a combination of factors including her new birth control, a recent battle with Covid-19 and a recent trip from Paris ‘in a really short amount of time’.
Doctors were unable to establish how the blood clot ended up in her brain but through these tests they discovered the hole in her heart, which measured between 12 and 13 millimetres and was categorised as a Grade 5 – which is the ‘highest grade’ possible.
Bieber had the PFO closed and has now fully recovered and is spreading awareness about the condition on social media.
She shared: “The biggest thing I feel is 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.”