Hailey Bieber Remembers Scary Heart Procedure With Throwback Hospital Pic

Hailey Bieber is recalling a terrifying moment in her life when she was hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms in April 2022. 

She revealed at the time that she had suffered from a transient ischemic attack caused by a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), leading her to undergo surgery to remove the heart defect.

Now, she is memorializing the period with a heart of gratitude to the health professionals for being hale and hearty one year after surgery. 

Hailey, who is married to the pop icon Justin Bieber recently went on her Instagram Story to mark one year since the successful procedure to close a hole in her heart. 

She used a throwback photo of herself lying on a hospital bed and smiling slightly at the camera. Some machines were connected to her as she lay in a hospital gown, and was partly covered with a white sheet.

The supermodel wrote across the image: "This time last year, I had a procedure done to close a hole I had in my heart known as a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale) Following having a transient stroke."

She continued "So grateful to have found this and have it closed. And so grateful for my amazing doctors. A year later, I'm feeling strong and healthy." Hailey rounded up with an urging note for her followers to click an attached link to read and learn more about PFO and PFO closure."

The Hollywood celeb has been pretty open about her experience with PFO, even going as far as narrating her mental health ordeal after suffering a mini-stroke.

As The Blast reported, during an appearance on an episode of the "Run-Through with Vogue" podcast, she mentioned how terrified she became after the diagnosis as she believed the stroke would happen again. "I struggled with a lot of anxiety after," Hailey shared. "I struggled with a little bit of PTSD of just, like, the fear of maybe it was gonna happen again." 

She then recalled how dreadful the incident was, saying, "It was so terrifying, so jarring …in every single way that you could imagine." According to the media personality, the stroke was the "scariest thing she'd ever gone through," after which she discovered a hole in her heart, making things even worse.

Upon the discovery, her anxiety levels escalated, adding that she suffered the initial health problem in Palm Springs last March before she was eventually diagnosed with the heart condition.

After undergoing surgery the following month for the condition, Hailey disclosed that she found it hard to return to Palm Springs for some time, as it made her recollect "exactly how everything happened in that moment."

However, despite being extremely frightened, she was thankful she found the hole before it caused any serious medical issues. In her words, "I think the bright side for me is that it led me to find out I had this hole in my heart." 

Thankfully, the 26-year-old was able to get back on her feet in no time, and even her anxiety levels, PTSD, and overthinking about her health were reduced.

She also felt fortunate to be alive after knowing her condition could have worsened. She recounted, "I look back at it, and it could've been so much worse. So many worse things could have happened in that moment." 

Hailey's moving reflection about her health comes after she got vulnerable about her challenges at the beginning of the year amid her infamous feud with fellow celeb Selena Gomez.

Per reports, she went on her Insta Story with an emotional message that began, "I like to make jokes about how I feel because sometimes it's easier than admitting I'm having a hard time." The socialite then wrote that since the year started, she has had "some of the saddest, hardest moments" she had ever had as an adult, causing her "mind and emotions" to be "fragile."

At the end of the message, she told those who had similar experiences that they were not alone before adding a second post advising her fans to be there for one another. In her words, "Let's just be there for people.. let's keep showing up for each other even when it's hard. We're better together."