Toni Braxton recently opened up about her Lupus-related health emergency on “TODAY with Hoda & Jena.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer and actress revealed she was experiencing chest pains, but attributed it to her grieving the loss of her sister, Traci Braxton.
After being urged to see a doctor, Toni learned she had a very high risk of suffering a massive heart attack.
You know, I had some pain in my chest.
I’ve had Lupus for over 15 years.
But, I was having this pain in my chest and I thought it was because I was so sad because we had lost one of my sisters.
I was like, ‘I’m just sad, you know,’ and I went to the doctors, and he… I kept postponing this appointment he wanted me to do.
He said you need to get this check-up, you need to do it, and I kept saying, ‘Ah, I’ll do it later, I’m fine.’
And finally, he called me up and said, ‘Go, I got you an appointment for tomorrow, go!’
So I went, and I remember them saying the doctor… after they did it the doctor needs to see you.
And that’s when… shortly after that I was told that, um, I would’ve had a massive heart attack, and I would not have survived.
It was my left ostia coronary, the main artery, something called the Widowmaker.
And even sometimes when I talk about it… I’m sorry guys I get a little emotional about it because I feel so fortunate and so blessed because I was not gonna go to that appointment.
You know, you put things off, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow, everything’s okay. I’m sure I’m fine.’
So, I’m here today, I’m partnering with Aurinia, to talk about kidney health, I’m talking about Lupus Nephritis, something as simple as, you know, we always lose an uncomfortable tinkling in that cup, getting our blood work done, something simple, it takes 40 minutes out of your day, we put it off.
And I’m here to talk about it because if I had not done that appointment I would not be here today talking to you guys.
So, I want to educate people about that.
Widowmaker Heart Attack -this happens when you have a blockage in the biggest artery in your heart. That means blood can’t move through your left descending (LAD) artery, which provides 50% of your heart muscle’s blood supply. Immediate treatment is crucial for a chance at survival.
Toni Braxton said the doctors didn’t tell her initially how serious her condition was to keep her calm, but after they did the procedure they told her that things were touch and go for a moment.
She said the type of Lupus she has is known as SLE, and it can attack any organ in her body, and now it’s scary because it’s starting to affect her kidneys.
Toni said she loves singing and performing, but she knows she will never be able to do shows five to seven days a week again because of her Lupus.
She credits her family for keeping her upbeat during the tough times, and she mentioned that her Lupus was flaring when she lost her sister Traci Braxton to cancer.
She went quickly… A rough time for me, um, and then my Lupus was flaring.
Uh, it was quick she had Esophageal Cancer, took her quickly.
That’s why I’m here, and I want to talk about Lupus and Lupus Nephritis, and kidney health, and kidney damage, and how to get your kidneys healthy because now my Lupus is affecting my kidneys.
And I think of if I didn’t go to the doctors for my heart that day…
Now all I have to do is pee in a cup, get poked a little bit, you know what I mean?… And I can find out what’s going on with my body.
Watch the clip of the Toni Braxton interview from “TODAY with Hoda & Jena” below:
We pray for Toni’s health and well-being.
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