Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Back in 2001, Hollywood icon Sharon Stone suffered a severe stroke. Though it’s been a long time since the health scare, Sharon recently opened up about the terrible way she was treated by people she encountered after the stroke.
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An unfair reaction…
Speaking to Variety at a Women’s Brain Health Initiative event, the award-winning actress revealed that women from all walks of life failed to fully grasp the magnitude of the haemorrhagic stroke and the on-going impact it had on her life.
She said: “People treated me in a way that was brutally unkind.
“From other women in my own business to the female judge who handled my custody case [Sharon divorced American journalist Phil Bronstein, with whom she has a son, in 2004]. I don’t think anyone grasps how dangerous a stroke is for women and what it takes to recover – it took me about seven years.”
After effects…
She continued to speak candidly about the knock-on effect of the condition on several areas of her life. The 61-year-old described the “insurmountable losses” she faced in the wake of her stroke: “[From] trying to keep custody of my son to just functioning – to be able to work at all”.
Thankfully a ray of hope came in the form of French business magnate Bernard Arnault, who offered Sharon a high-profile contract with French luxury goods brand, Dior.
Explaining more, the mom said: “I was so grateful to Bernard Arnault, who rescued me by giving me a Dior contract.”
Despite this career lifeline, she revealed that there were still a number of mountains to climb in her lengthy recovery process. She even compared her abrupt exit from the limelight to the death of Princess Diana.
Sharon continued: “I had to re-mortgage my house. I lost everything I had. I lost my place in the business.
“I was like the hottest movie star, you know? It was like Princess Diana and I were so famous – and she died and I had a stroke. And we were forgotten.”
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Fortunately, today the actress is happy and healthy – and looking better than ever!
Words of advice…
The star went on to offer some sage words of advice for fans. She touched on the symptoms of stroke and the fast action that needs to be taken. She said, “If you have a really bad headache, you need to go to the hospital. I didn’t get to the hospital until day three or four of my stroke.
“Most people die. I had a 1 per cent chance of living by the time I got surgery – and they wouldn’t know for a month if I would live.”
Due to bleeding in or around the brain, haemorrhagic strokes account for up to 15% of all strokes, and are the cause of around 40% of strokes, worldwide. Causes of haemorrhagic strokes include everything from high blood pressure to aneurysms.
ALSO SEE: Know The Warning Signs Of A Stroke
Actress Sharon stone is currently starring in drama series The New Pope, and her latest film What About Love is expected to release early next year.
