#Socialites, join us in sending prayers up for Toni Braxton! The Grammy Award-winning singer recently revealed that she underwent a “traumatic” heart surgery after her lupus nearly caused her to suffer a heart attack.
RELATED: Toni Braxton Reveals Heart Attack Led To Her Lupus Diagnosis
Toni Braxton Reveals She Underwent ‘Traumatic’ Heart Surgery After Her Lupus Nearly Caused A Heart Attack
Speaking with PEOPLE, Toni Braxton — who has been open about her 2008 diagnosis and living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) — said, “My left main coronary artery was 80% blocked. The doctors told me I could’ve had a massive heart attack, I would not have survived.”
The 55-year-old singer said that back in September 2022, she underwent a surgery on her heart after it was discovered that 80% of the main artery was blocked.
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Braxton, who has been hospitalized “more times than [she] cares to admit,” affirmed that she is well aware of the importance of remaining in good health, and making sure she is staying on top of her routine urine and blood tests, which help with assessing how her lupus is affecting her organs.
Unfortunately, Braxton admitted that last year she slipped up. She said, “I kept putting it off thinking, ‘Oh, I’m fine. I’ll be okay.’ But my doctor was persistent and I went to get tested in the last week of September. I did a specialized test and they looked at my heart and saw some abnormalities. I found out that I needed a coronary stent. My left main coronary artery was 80% blocked. The doctors told me I could’ve had a massive heart attack, I would not have survived.”
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Recalling the scary life-threatening incident last year, Braxton explained, “It was a traumatic moment for me. I was in shock. I remember that day because my chest was aching often, just hurting. And I thought I was just sad because unfortunately my sister [Traci Braxton] had just passed and I thought, ‘Wow, I’m really aching in my heart for my sister.’ And come to find out, of course I was sad about my sister, but I also had underlying health issues. It was my body talking to me, telling me something’s not quite right.”
Braxton reveals that after going through initial screenings, two days later she underwent an emergency surgery and had a stent inserted into her heart. A stent is a short, wire mesh tube that helps to keep the arteries (aka passageways) clear and open.
Following the surgery, Braxton was kept in the hospital for a few additional days as doctors and nurses continued to monitor her recovery.
While the traumatic incident makes her emotional when brought up, Braxton affirms that she is very much grateful that she did not suffer a fatal heart attack and was able to catch her medical emergency before things got worse.
She added, “It was really a scary moment. Had I not gotten that test, my life would’ve been different. I look at it like it was a blessing in disguise for me because now, putting off tests? Oh no, I will not put off tests. If all I have to do for my lupus and my kidney health is pee in a cup, I can pee in a cup. How many times do you need me to pee? If all I gotta do is get my arm pricked for some blood? Oh yes, I can do that. How many vials do you need?”
RELATED: Toni Braxton Regrets Not Fooling Around More While Younger, Says Religion Interfered
Since Braxton’s health scare last year, she is now partnering with Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. for their Get Uncomfortable campaign, ahead of Lupus Awareness Month in May.
Braxton said she gets tested every three months, and warned Black and Asian women to also get regularly tested. She said these specific races of women are four times more likely to develop lupus nephritis, and noted that the risk of death is three times greater for those suffering with the condition.
She added, “It’s important to get those screenings — simple things. The goal here is long life and old age. I know we’re all scared sometimes to go to the doctor. Especially for me having lupus, I was scared, I didn’t want to know. But I find that knowing is empowering and it gets my doctors on top of my lupus and my kidney health. And that’s the most important thing.”
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