Sharon Stone, known for her role in Basic Instinct, faced a near-death experience due to a brain hemorrhage.


“They decided that I was faking it”: Sharon Stone Nearly Died After Doctors Dismissed Her Excruciating Pain as Acting

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SUMMARY

She suffered a nine-day brain bleed and had a 1% chance of survival after surgery.
Stone shared that she was initially not taken seriously by medical staff and was even accused of faking her symptoms.
She emphasizes the lack of attention and support for women’s health issues, particularly when there is no female doctor present.

Renowned for her mesmerizing performance in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone has spent decades in the entertainment industry.

Following her notable success in Hollywood, the actress went on to star in several movies and even landed an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in the 1996 movie Casino.

However, being one of the best actresses in the industry somehow backfired when she visited the hospital after excruciating pain, as the doctors believed that she was faking it.

Casino (1995)
Casino (1995)
Stone opened up about the incident in an interview with Vogue sharing that it resulted in a near-death experience for her as she ended up in an emergency room due to a brain hemorrhage.

Sharon Stone Suffered a Brain Hemorrhage

In 2001, Oscar-nominated actress Sharon Stone suffered a brain hemorrhage that altered her life and career. In a recent interview with Vogue, she opened up about the incident, sharing that the life-threatening stroke resulted in a nine-day brain bleed and left her with a 1% chance of survival after surgery.

Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct
Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct
The Casino star shared that she remembers finding herself on a gurney after she felt a “lightning bolt-like” pain in her head. Stone was then told that she was going in for a “brain surgery.”

She was surprised, considering she had not given her consent for such a procedure.

Once she learned about the situation, she made sure that she was heard and raised her concerns.

Further in her interview, the Silver actress highlighted a concerning trend in medical settings, stating the challenges women face in the absence of a female doctor.
Actress Sharon Stone
Actress Sharon Stone
“What I learned through that experience is that in a medical setting, women often just aren’t heard, particularly when you don’t have a female doctor,” she said, explaining how the medical staff missed the initial symptoms of her brain hemorrhage.

The Medical Staff Missed Sharon Stone’s Brain Hemorrhage

Highlighting how women’s issues are not addressed properly, she shared that the medical staff missed the initial symptoms of her brain hemorrhage.

“They missed it with the first angiogram and decided that I was faking it,” she told Vogue.

It was her friend who advocated for her and asked for another CT angiogram, which discovered that she “had been hemorrhaging into [her] brain.”
Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
The actress shared that the consequences would have been fatal if she was sent back home that day.

During an interview with People, she opened up about how the incident has impacted her personal and professional life.

The Total Recall actress shared that she needed “eight hours of uninterrupted sleep” due to her medication, making her a “disability hire.”

This resulted in fewer offers, as she claimed that no one wanted to hire her in Hollywood.

Soon after her surgery, her marriage fell apart, and she also lost custody of her son.

However, over two decades later, she is comfortable sharing her story with the public.