Toni Braxton is opening up about a scary health situation that led to surgery to have a stent placed in her heart last fall, amid a complication she suffered in her battle with lupus.
The 55-year-old R&B singer opened up to People on Tuesday saying that she underwent surgery last September after doctors found that her ‘left main coronary artery was 80 percent blocked.’
The Severn, Maryland native told the publication, ‘I found out that I needed a coronary stent … the doctors told me I could’ve had a massive heart attack, I would not have survived.’
The Grammy-winning artist said that hearing the somber news from doctors marked ‘a traumatic moment’ for her.
‘I was in shock,’ said Braxton, who was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 2008. ‘I remember that day because my chest was aching often, just hurting.’
The latest: Toni Braxton, 55, is opening up about a scary health situation that led to surgery last fall amid a complication she suffered in her battle with lupus
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, according to the Mayo Clinic, that ‘occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs (autoimmune disease).’
The clinic noted that ‘inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems – including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.’
The Breathe Again performer told the publication that she’s been hospitalized more times than she cares to admit in her battle with lupus.
Braxton said that while she has regularly submit blood and urine tests to doctors to keep tabs on the condition, she delayed doing her tests last year.
The You’re Makin’ Me High vocalist 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.’
She said at the time that it was in the aftermath of the death of her sister Traci Braxton from esophageal cancer in March of 2022, which she thought was directly related to her chest ache.
‘I remember that day because my chest was aching often, just hurting,’ Braxton said. ‘And I thought I was just sad because unfortunately my sister 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.’
The R&B singer opened up to People on Tuesday saying that she underwent surgery last September after doctors found that her ‘left main coronary artery was 80 percent blocked’
The Severn, Maryland native told the publication, ‘I found out that I needed a coronary stent … the doctors told me I could’ve had a massive heart attack, I would not have survived’
Braxton said that while she has regularly submit blood and urine tests to doctors to keep tabs on the condition, she delayed doing her tests last year, which led to the health crisis
Braxton said two days after the exchange with her doctors – ‘It was really a scary moment,’ she told the magazine – she underwent the procedure.
‘Had I not gotten that test, my life would’ve been different,’ the musical artist said.
The singer said that in hindsight, she thinks the course of events marked ‘a blessing in disguise’ for her, as she will no longer procrastinate in keeping up on her medical status.
‘Now, putting off tests?’ she said. ‘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?’
Some seven months removed from the operation, Braxton said her health is on the rise, and she stays vigilant to keep things on track.
‘When my body tells me to take it down and relax, I have to listen to it.’
Braxton chat about her health situation as she’s involved with Get Uncomfortable campaign from Aurinia to mark Lupus Awareness Month in May.
Braxton took to Instagram on Tuesday with a clip in which she detailed her efforts for the campaign.
She noted that people with lupus can experience complications with their kidneys, adding, ‘For my followers who are living with lupus and lupus nephritis, I know we get tired of going to the doctor’s and getting tests done … but it’s worth it, because it can help prevent further kidney damage.’
The singer said that in hindsight, she thinks the course of events marked ‘a blessing in disguise’ for her, as she will no longer procrastinate in keeping up on her medical status
The R&B singer was pictured at the Grammy Awards in LA in February of 2019
