Hailey says that she first knew something was wrong while having breakfast with Justin Bieber, when she felt a "weird sensation" in her right arm.
She also says her fingertips felt "numb and weird," and she was having trouble speaking.
"The right side of my face started drooping, I couldn't get a sentence out," she says. "Immediately, I thought I was having a stroke."
When she arrived at the hospital, Hailey's face and arm were feeling better — but after an overnight stay and a series of tests, it was determined that she experienced a Transient Ischemic Attack, which is also known as a mini-stroke.
Doctors told Hailey that her recent COVID case, traveling, and a change in her birth control had contributed to the mini-stroke.
She was discharged the following day, but a later follow-up visit revealed a Grade 5 PFO — specifically, a hole in her heart that was between 12 and 13 millimeters.
Following the diagnosis, Hailey eventually underwent surgery to repair the hole in her heart — and according to her, the procedure went "very smoothly."
"The biggest thing I feel is I just feel really relieved that we were able to figure everything out, that we were able to get it closed, that I will be able to move on from this really scary situation and just live my life," she says.
"If there's anybody that watches this that has gone through the same thing or something similar, I definitely really empathize with you. And I understand how life-altering and scary it is."
