Sharon Stone Details Career Impact After Stroke

Actress Sharon Stone, 68, has spoken about the significant impact her 2001 stroke and brain hemorrhage had on her professional life, stating that career opportunities diminished as she recovered.

In an interview with ELLE Spain, Stone recounted how her previously successful career had "disappeared" by the time she regained basic functions. "At that time, if you were a woman and something happened to you, you were finished," she recalled.

Stone, who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage that caused her brain to bleed for nine days, had to relearn how to walk, talk, and read. She described the experience as life-threatening, with doctors giving her only a one-in-100 chance of survival. The physical trauma resulted in changes to her senses, including her smell, sight, and touch, and she was unable to read for several years.

Beyond the physical recovery, Stone also revealed financial repercussions. She stated that approximately $18 million in savings had vanished during her recovery period, allegedly due to mismanagement by individuals around her while she was unable to oversee her finances. "People took advantage of me over that [recovery] time," Stone claimed.

Despite these challenges, Stone emphasized her decision to move forward without bitterness. "I decided not to hang onto being sick or to any bitterness or anger," she said. "If you bite into the seed of bitterness, it never leaves you. But if you hold faith, even if that faith is the size of a mustard seed, you will survive. So, I live for joy now. I live for purpose."

Stone has two films scheduled for release and recently appeared in the television series "Euphoria." She also has an exhibition in Prague. The actress noted that invisible disabilities are often overlooked and that people have difficulty reconciling perceptions of beauty and intelligence with fragility.