American actress Sharon Stone said that during one of the most difficult periods in her life, her father was the only one who supported her. That difficult period came in 2001, when the actress had a dire 1 percent chance of survival after a ruptured vertebral artery left her brain bleeding for nine long days.
Sharing memories of this difficult period, Sharon shared: “My father was there for me, but I would say that was it. I understand that if you want to live with respectable citizens, don’t come to Hollywood.”
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Before the health crisis, Sharon enjoyed success in both her professional and personal life. She received her first Oscar nomination for her role in Casino five years before the accident.
She also adopted her 23-year-old son Roan with her husband Phil Bronstein. Since then, her family has added two more children: Laird, 18, and Quinn, 17.
However, due to health concerns, her marriage fell apart, leading to her divorce from Phil in 2004, and she felt that Hollywood had turned its back on her. She said: “I have lost everything; I lost all my money. I lost custody of my child. I lost my career. I have lost all those things that you think are your true identity and your life.”
She continued, “I never got most of it back, but I got to a point where I was okay with it, where I actually felt like I was enough.”
Today, Sharon is actively involved with the Barrow Neurological Foundation, of which she is a board member. The foundation supports a medical school run by Sharon’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Lawton, in Arizona.
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She’s also set to host her annual Neuro Night fundraiser on Oct. 27. The Foundation’s mission, as outlined on its website, is dedicated to “saving lives through innovative treatments, pioneering treatment research, and training the next generation of the world’s leading neuroclinicians.”
Dr Lawton, who is credited with saving Stone’s life, said: “She is an inspiration to those suffering from anything neurological.”
She also found peace in her life through other activities such as painting and playing pickleball. Sharon has found pickleball to be “a lot of fun,” and she sees painting as a means to “help me find my clear center.”