Toni Braxton is speaking out about a “traumatic” health scare she experienced as a result of a lupus complication.
The R&B icon reveals that she needed emergency heart surgery due to a blockage in her coronary artery. She tells PEOPLE that doctors discovered the abnormalities during a screening and that she underwent surgery.
In 2008, the “Un-Break My Heart” singer, 55, was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). While she gets urine and blood tests on a regular basis to monitor her health, she admits to putting it off.
“I kept putting it off, telling myself, ‘Oh, I’m fine.'” I’ll be fine.’ But, thanks to my doctor’s persistence, I went to be tested in the last week of September. “I had a specialized test, and they looked at my heart and found some irregularities,” she explains. “I discovered that I needed a coronary stent.” My left main coronary artery was blocked by 80%. The doctors said I could have had a massive heart attack and not survived.”
Braxton was also mourning the death of her sister, Traci Braxton, at the time.
“It was a traumatic experience for me.” “I was stunned,” she recalls. “I recall that day because my chest was aching all the time, just hurting.” And I thought I was just sad because my sister had recently died, and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I’m really aching in my heart for my sister.’ And, as it turned out, I was not only upset about my sister’s death, but I also had underlying health issues. It was my body telling me that something wasn’t quite right.”
Braxton underwent emergency surgery two days after seeing the doctor, and a stent was inserted into her heart. She stayed in the hospital for a few days to recover.
Looking back, the Grammy-winning singer expressed gratitude for being able to prevent a heart attack. “It was a really scary moment,” she recalls. “My life would have been different if I hadn’t taken that test.”
The eye-opening experience taught her an important lesson. “I look at it as a blessing in disguise because now I’m putting off tests?” “Oh no, I’m not going to put off tests,” she said. “I can pee in a cup if that’s all I have to do for my lupus and kidney health.” How often do you need me to pee? If all I have to do is have my arm pricked for blood? Oh, sure, I can do that. How many vials do you need?”
Braxton encourages others with lupus to get regular screenings, noting that Black and Asian women are four times more likely than white women to develop lupus nephritis, and the risk of death is three times higher.
“It’s important to get those screenings — simple things,” she continues. “The goal here is long life and old age.”
