Gal Gadot was diagnosed “with a massive blood clot in [her] brain” during the eighth month of her pregnancy last February and nearly died, she wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday.
Gadot said that after suffering debilitating headaches for weeks, she underwent an MRI and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. “My daughter, Ori, was born during that moment of uncertainty and fear,” she wrote. The name Ori, which means “my light” in Hebrew, was not chosen by chance, she said. “Before the surgery, I told [her husband] Jaron [Varsano] that when our daughter arrived, she would be the light waiting for me at the end of this tunnel.”
Thanking the doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles who saved her life, she went on to say, “Today, I am fully healed and filled with gratitude for the life I’ve been given back.”
The frightening experience taught her two things. One is that “it’s vital to listen to our bodies and trust what it’s telling us,” and the second is that “3 in 100,000 pregnant women in the 30s+ age group are diagnosed with CVT (develop a blood clot in the brain),” which is treatable if discovered in time. “Sharing this is not meant to frighten anyone but to empower,” she added.
Hollywood celebrities wish her well
The Israeli actress, who is known for playing Wonder Woman and who will appear in the new live-action Disney version of Snow White, which will be released in 2025, received many messages from well-wishers on the post, including actors and celebrities such as Sacha Baron Cohen, Gwyneth Paltrow, January Jones, Tara Strong, Jessica Seinfeld, and Noa Tishby, who are among her 108 million Instagram followers.
Ori is Gadot’s fourth daughter with Varsano. Her eldest, Alma, celebrated her bat mitzvah in November.
In her Instagram post about her health scare, the Hollywood superstar, who is proud of her Israeli and Jewish heritage, wrote: “As we celebrate Hanukkah, a holiday of light and miracles, I reflect on the personal miracle I was granted. My daughter, Ori, is a constant reminder of resilience, hope, and the strength we carry within. My wish is that we all find our light, experience our own miracles, and continue to advocate for our health and for one another.”