TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Actor Jamie Foxx has shared the details of a life-threatening medical emergency he experienced last year after doctors discovered he had suffered a brain bleed.
In his new Netflix comedy special, “What Had Happened Was,” Jamie Foxx finally described what left him fighting for his life in 2023, Variety magazine reported Tuesday.
Emerging on stage and proclaiming “I’m back!” the Oscar and Grammy winner said his life was saved just 400 yards from the Atlanta theater where he was performing.
“April 11, I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for Aspirin,” Foxx joked.
Before he could even take any aspirin, he blacked out and remained unconscious for weeks, he said.
What was the diagnosis?
At the Piedmont hospital where he went for treatment, a doctor said Foxx was “having a brain bleed that has led to a stroke,” and that if they didn’t operate on him as soon as possible he would die.
Stroke is essentially the equivalent of a heart attack in the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
What triggers it?
The potentially fatal condition develops when part of the brain doesn’t get enough blood, typically because of a blocked artery or bleeding in your brain. Without a steady supply of blood, and the precious oxygen it delivers, brain cells start to die within minutes.
Strokes tend to strike later in life, with roughly two-thirds of strokes happening in those over age 65, the Cleveland Clinic says.
In addition to age, certain medical conditions raise the chances of stroke, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or a history of stroke, heart attack or atrial fibrillation.
Whether Foxx, 56, had any of these conditions isn't known.
While he did recover from his brain bleed, he later learned he had lost consciousness for almost three weeks.
“I don’t remember 20 days,” Foxx said.
However, it “was kind of oddly peaceful,” he said, adding, “I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light.”
Later, the doctor told Foxx he “may be able to make a full recovery, but it’s going to be the worst year of his life.”
After going to a Chicago rehabilitation center on May 4, Foxx didn’t even understand why he was in a wheelchair or that he had experienced a stroke.
“I lost everything, but the only thing I could hold onto was my sense of humor,” Foxx said.
During his Netflix special, Foxx thanked everybody who prayed for his recovery. As he shook the hands of audience members, Foxx sang, “Thank you for my body. Thank you for my soul.”
More information
The American Stroke Association has more on stroke.
SOURCE: Variety magazine