One singer is using a frightening lupus-related scare to push and encourage others to listen to their bodies and take care of themselves.
Toni Braxton, 55, has had a long and successful career, producing several chart-topping hits. She has sold millions of albums and won multiple Grammy Awards. But all that success does not prevent someone from experiencing sickness, trouble and trauma. Our bodies are fragile and will not hold up forever.
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"You've got to get those screenings done," Toni said "It's very important."
During an interview on Today with Hoda & Jenna, the "He wasn't Man Enough" singer, who has lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), opened up about a visit to the doctor that literally saved her life.
Following her sister’s death, Toni confessed that she had been experiencing pain in her chest. She figured the issue with her chest may have had to do with recently losing her sister. She kept delaying going to see her doctor about it.
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Despite her initial hesitation, Toni did see her doctor. She couldn't believe what she would learn a few days after seeing the medical professional.
"I was told that I would've had a massive heart attack and I would not have survived," she said.
Toni Would Have Suffered A Massive, Deadly Heart Attack
A main artery in her heart was blocked. Toni would have suffered a widow-maker heart attack, Today reports. As a result, doctors placed a stent in her.
Doctors told her it was "touch and go for a moment."
"I have SLE, so it can attack any organ in my body," Toni said. She added that her lupus has now started to impact her kidneys.
SLE, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organs."
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The government health website added that SLE "can affect the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels."
"Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers." – 3 John 1:2
WATCH: Toni Braxton Opens Up About Health Scare And Pushes Others To Take Care Of Themselves
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H/t: Today with Hoda & Jenna, CDC, YouTube/Today with Hoda & Jenna
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Today with Hoda & Jenna