Oscar award winner Tatum O’Neal in a recent interview with People revealed how she nearly died following a drug overdose episode on May 2020.
Tatum O’Neal, the actress best known for her role in Paper Moon revealed that she had a near-fatal stroke following the drug abuse which left her in a coma for six weeks. In the video, she exclaimed:
“I woke up in a coma without any words, without anything.”
Watch the video here:
Tatum O’Neal’s children speak about the incident
Kevin McEnroe, Tatum O’Neal’s son with ex-husband John McEnroe further confirmed the news and added that his mother had also suffered a cardiac arrest. Besides that, she also experienced multiple seizures. Speaking about the same he said:
“There were times we didn’t think she was going to survive.”
According to multiple reports Tatum O’Neal had apparently overdosed on opiates morphine and, prescription medicines that were given to her for her neck and back problems, as well as for her rheumatoid arthritis.
Speaking about what led her to overdose on these consumables, Tatum O’Neal’s children mentioned that in 2020 the whole Covid situation coupled with a number of health issues deteriorated their mother’s mental health to a great extent. Her son’s exact words were:
“She had become very isolated. With the addition of morphine and heavier pharmaceuticals, it was getting scary. COVID, chronic pain, all these things led to a place of isolation. In that place, I don’t think, for her, there was much hope.”
Speaking further about the situation, Kevin revealed, that following her admission to the hospital Tatum O’Neal was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that actor Bruce Willis also suffers from.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia is a condition that affects a person’s cognitive abilities. In its presence, patients usually develop speech impairments as well as find difficulty in reading and writing. There are two known causes of the condition. It can either be caused due to a traumatic brain injury like in the case of a stroke or, due to the existence of degenerative diseases like dementia.
When does a stroke occur?
A stroke occurs when a part of the brain no longer receives a sufficient amount of blood supply which in turn prevents the tissues of the brain from getting ample amounts of oxygen and nutrients. Some common symptoms of stroke include confusion, paralysis of the face, leg or arm, disrupted vision, headache, and an inability to walk.
There are two known causes of a stroke. It can either be caused due to a blocked artery or due to the leaking and bursting of a blood vessel.
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