Fans Thank Hailey Bieber For Sharing Personal Heart Surgery Story

Last month, Hailey Bieber was rushed to the hospital after experiencing a health scare.

On Wednesday, April 27, the supermodel uploaded a 12-minute video to YouTube titled "telling my story." In the video, she details the heart surgery she had to undergo after a blood clot in her brain caused a mini-stroke.

Hailey revealed that she had a patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure procedure done to mend a hole in her heart. “It went very smoothly,” she assured her fans. “I’m recovering really well, really fast.”

After being rushed to a Palm Springs hospital with stroke-like symptoms last month, she discovered that she had a blood clot that traveled to her brain and caused a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

However, when the doctors weren’t sure how the healthy 25-year-old developed the blood clot. Hailey explained that she “went to UCLA” for “more in-depth testing … to find a PFO.” She described the PFO as a “flap between the right and left chambers of the heart.”

“Typically, at birth, it’s supposed to close on its own,” she explained but noted that hers did not.

“They found that I had a grade five which is the highest grade you can have,” she went on. “Mine was fairly large. What typically happens is the heart will filter the blood clot to the lungs and the lungs will absorb it because they’re so big and they can handle it.”

Unfortunately, one blood clot “escaped through the hole in my heart and traveled to my brain and that is why I suffered a [mini-stroke].”

Hailey said that she was “just grateful that they found it” and explained that doctors performed a procedure where they use “a button” to close the flap in her heart to prevent it from happening again. “I’m really relieved I will be able to just move on from this really scary situation and live my life,” she added.

In the description of the video, Hailey wrote, “Thank you all for watching and listening to my story. I feel very grateful and lucky to have had the resources and family support to be able to deal with this as quickly as I did. I wanted to make this video to share more info and a few resources below to turn to if you have gone or are going through something similar.”

She also provided resources and encouraged followers to get regular check-ups. She also included stroke warning signs and symptoms through the acronym F.A.S.T.: face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call 911.

Many fans thanked her for sharing her story.

“I absolutely love this more personal one on one format, you should totally do more videos like this in the future!” one fan wrote. “Also - I'm so glad you're okay, that experience sounded so scary.”

“The way you handled the situation and shared your story was so comforting,” another commented. “Thank you for sharing!!”

“As a med student, you've explained everything perfectly. I think it is very positive for people to get this kind of information from someone they admire,” another shared. “I'm happy that you are recovering and that everything worked out this way.”

“Thank you for sharing your story Hailey! This means so much to us. You’re so strong and have so many that love and support you!” said another. “You’re truly helping so many out there that may have gone through something similar. I have seizures and feel like some of your symptoms that you felt are relatable. God bless you Hailey! You got this!”

“I'm a nurse and I thought you did such an incredible job presenting this story and providing information to those watching!!” another commented. “Thank you for all the links and information in the description and thank you for making this video!”

“I’m so happy you’re okay Hailey. This video is so educational and I hope it can potentially save more lives so people know the signs,” said another. “Also shoutout to all the medical personnel who worked to make sure they gave you a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.”

“Love how honest and open you are about everything,” another wrote. “From being anxious to very grateful for your doctors, looking forward to more from you!”