Emilia Clarke on suffering 2 brain hemorrhages in her 20s
What's the story
Hollywood actor Emilia Clarke, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, recently opened up about suffering two brain hemorrhages in her twenties. The first incident occurred in 2011 and the second one in 2013. "It still took years for me to grapple with my truth," she said at Variety's Power of Women London event on Wednesday.
Diagnosis struggle
'Was ashamed and overwhelmed by a diagnosis I didn't understand'
Clarke admitted she was ashamed and overwhelmed by her diagnosis, saying, "In 2011, I didn't want anyone to know about my brain bleeds." "I was ashamed and overwhelmed by a diagnosis I didn't understand." "Fifteen years after my first bleed, I have the hindsight to see how difficult that time truly was," she added.
Work resumption
The actor returned to work within weeks of traumas
Despite suffering two brain hemorrhages, Clarke returned to work within weeks of both incidents. "I never had the chance to reflect on what my two brain traumas had done to me because I could walk, talk, be myself, remember my lines and was back on camera within weeks of both brain injuries." She downplayed other consequences such as hormonal issues and extreme fatigue as stress related to her busy work schedule.
Charity initiative
She founded a charity called SameYou
As she dealt with her own recovery, Clarke founded a brain recovery charity called SameYou. The name symbolizes returning to one's pre-trauma self. "Today we have tens of thousands of survivors in our community saying essentially the same thing: the journey to healing feels like falling off the edge of a cliff without anyone there to catch you," she said.
Recovery journey
Now, she's regained her energy and positivity
Clarke has now regained the "energy and positivity I had in my twenties" after working with neuroscientist David Putrino at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She also emphasized the need for mental health support for those who've struggled with brain bleeds, saying, "For a number of years, I felt that I had cheated death, and it was coming to get me."