Hailey Bieber Reflects On Suffering Mini-Stroke One Year After 'Life-Changing Event'

On Friday, the model took to her Instagram Stories to share that it's been one year since she suffered a mini-stroke, with the medical emergency leading to doctors finding a small hole in her heart, known as Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO).

"Can't believe it's been one year since I suffered a mini-stroke that led to my PFO diagnosis," wrote Bieber, who reshared a video from April 2022 in which she first opened up about the health scare.

"Given that it's the one-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 said.

The 26-year-old went on to provide statistics and helpful resources about PFO from UCLA Health, sharing two infographics to her Instagram Stories.

Bieber noted that PFO is "the most common congenital heart defect, affecting 20% of all people, with 60% occurrence among 1st degree relatives." She added that 60% of those who suffer a stroke "without a known cause" are "likely" to have a patent foramen ovale.

The rhode founder also shared that PFO "is a passage way between the left and right atria of the heart," and "exists in everyone before birth." While it closes for "most people" after they are born, the "flap does not close" for "around one in four people." Bieber added that "PFO is what we call the passage way when the flap fails to close." She also shared a link for those who want to donate to UCLA's PFO Closure Research Fund.

In another post on her Stories, Bieber gave a shoutout to actress Emila Clarke's charity, Same You, which raises money for those who have suffered brain injuries and strokes. The "Game of Thrones" alum survived two life-threatening brain aneurysms, which she experienced in 2011 and 2013.

"thrilled to highlight @emilia_clarke and all her work with @sameyouorg," Bieber wrote on her Instagram Stories, sharing a link to a YouTube video posted by the charity.

In March 2022, the "Lip Sync Battle" host was hospitalized following a mini-stroke, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA). After she received her PFO diagnosis, she underwent surgery to insert a device to permanently close the hole in her heart.

Earlier this year, Bieber opened up about how the traumatic incident affected her mental health.

While appearing on an episode of the "Run-Through with Vogue" podcast in January, she shared that she has experienced anxiety as well as PTSD after she was hospitalized following her mini-stroke.

"It was very difficult," Bieber said. "I struggled with a lot of anxiety after. I struggled with a little bit of PTSD of just, like, the fear of maybe it was gonna happen again. It was just a feeling that I was, like, I never want to experience that ever again. I mean, it was so terrifying, so jarring, so discombobulating in every single way that you could imagine."

Reflecting on the health scare, she said, "It was something that was completely unexpected. You know, when you're 25 and you're young, you believe you're really healthy, and you know, do things to maintain your health."

"All the doctors kept saying it was just kind of a perfect storm," Bieber added. "It was a couple different factors that led to you having a small blood clot, and the blood clot traveled through the hole in my heart up to the brain, which is why I had, you know, what they call a mini-stroke."

"It was definitely the scariest thing I've ever gone through," she said.