Toni Braxton has revealed she underwent emergency heart surgery in September to treat a life-threatening lupus complication.
The “Un-Break My Heart” singer, who was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2008, underwent a procedure after doctors discovered that one of her coronary arteries was 80 percent blocked following a series of routine blood and urine tests in September.
“I kept putting (the tests) 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,” Braxton told People. “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… It was a traumatic moment for me. I was in shock.”
The 55-year-old underwent emergency surgery two days later and had a stent inserted into the artery to keep it from narrowing or closing.
Reflecting on the health scare, the Grammy-winning singer told People that she will never put off doing her routine tests again.
“It was really a scary moment. Had I not gotten that test, my life would’ve been different,” Braxton acknowledged. “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. If all I have to do for my lupus and my kidney health is pee in a cup, I can pee in a cup.”
Lupus is a disease that occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs.