We’re glad to know that Toni Braxton is doing well after revealing that she had emergency surgery due to a blockage in her heart.
For years, Braxton has publicly battled with lupus and she opened up about putting her medical exams that would check the status of her lupus on hold. “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,” she said.
She continued, “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.”
The award-winning singer recalled the feeling she had when she got the results back from her exam. “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.”
Toni stated that this was a wake-up call for her and that she has to stay on top of her health. “It was really a scary moment. Had I not gotten that test, my life would’ve been different.” She continued, “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.”
Braxton added. “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?”
Toni Braxton is now urging people who are battling lupus to get their routine check-ups. “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,” she said. “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.”