Sharon Stone Claims Ex-Husband Signed Her Up for Brain Surgery Without Consent After Stroke
The actress recounts waking up on a gurney en route to surgery she had not agreed to following a 2001 subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Actress Sharon Stone has detailed a harrowing experience where she claims her then-husband, Phil Bronstein, arranged for her to undergo exploratory brain surgery without her consent. The incident occurred in 2001, after Stone suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and stroke that left her in and out of consciousness.
During a recent appearance on the "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" podcast, the 68-year-old Stone recalled waking up on a gurney and realizing she was being taken for brain surgery. "He had signed me up for exploratory brain surgery without my knowledge or consent," Stone stated. She recounted that the gurney hit something on the floor, causing her to regain consciousness.
Stone described the doctor proceeding with the surgery despite her lack of consent, telling her, "Don't worry. It's all been taken care of." When she stood up on the gurney, hospital staff and the doctor rushed in. Stone said the doctor, holding a fax, yelled, "You can't do that. I'm on the phone with People magazine," implying he had informed the magazine of her surgery.
Stone asserted that she had not signed any consent forms and questioned the doctor, who responded that he had the right to speak with the magazine as her doctor. Stone then stated she fired him. A head nurse intervened, telling the doctor, "Well, she just did, sir. She just did," and instructed for Stone to be taken back to her room. Stone credits this nurse with saving her life.
In the interview, Stone also alleged that Bronstein initially delayed taking her to the hospital and subsequently told doctors that she was fabricating her symptoms.
Stone has previously spoken about her stroke and its impact on her life. In a 2014 essay for The Hollywood Reporter, she wrote about the nine days she spent bleeding in her brain and the two years it took to relearn to walk and talk. She noted that after the stroke, she stuttered and could not read for two years, and that the survival rate for her condition is very low.
Stone and Bronstein separated in July 2003, and their divorce was finalized in early 2004. Following their divorce, a custody dispute arose over their son, Roan. In 2008, a San Francisco court denied Stone's request to alter the custody arrangement, which designated Bronstein's home as Roan's primary residence.
Stone has since suggested that her role in "Basic Instinct" may have led to prejudice against her in the custody case. She told AARP in 2012 that she felt she had lost her child, her health, and everything, leading her to pray for strength when she had to attend fundraising events.