Former Big Brother contestant Libra Thompson has publicly disclosed that she experienced a cryptogenic stroke earlier this year while attending a conference in San Antonio, Texas. The 49-year-old reality television personality was hospitalised on February 1 after the medical emergency occurred.
Medical Emergency and Diagnosis
Thompson was urgently transported to Methodist Hospital Metropolitan where she received critical care. Neurologist Dr. Ewell Roach conducted examinations and determined the stroke originated from a congenital heart defect known as patent foramen ovale (PFO). This condition involves a small opening in the heart that typically closes after birth but had remained open in Thompson's case.
'Fortunately, my roommate, co-worker and friend was present during the incident,' Thompson shared via her Instagram account, where she maintains nearly 9,400 followers. 'I will be consulting with both neurologists and cardiologists this week through UT physicians who specialise in PFO cases to develop my treatment strategy.'
Financial Strain and Recovery
The behaviour instructional coach, employed by Conroe School District, has appealed to colleagues and friends for financial assistance to manage mounting medical expenses. Thompson emphasised the significant costs associated with heart surgery and her current unpaid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) status.
'I genuinely dislike making this request, but setting pride aside, donated leave days would provide tremendous support!' Thompson stated. 'Medical bills will be substantial during this unpaid leave period, and I'm discovering cardiac procedures rank among the most expensive medical treatments available.'
Despite these challenges, Thompson expressed gratitude for her recovery progress: 'With all that said, I feel incredibly blessed to have survived this ordeal and am now steadily improving.'
Family Life and Personal Background
Thompson and her husband, Scott Thompson, a 56-year-old sales director at Murj, are preparing to celebrate their twins' eighteenth birthdays next Tuesday. Their daughter Halle participates in volleyball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, while son Cullen plays football for Texas State University.
The couple, married for twenty-five years, also have a 22-year-old daughter, Fallon Thompson, who competes in volleyball at Gonzaga University. Thompson previously worked as a social studies instructor before transitioning to her current role as a behaviour instructional coach.
Reality Television Career
Thompson initially gained public recognition in 2008 as a contestant on the tenth season of CBS's reality programme Big Brother. She was eliminated on day thirty-eight of the seventy-one-day competition through a unanimous six-to-zero vote. A former member of the Kappa Delta Pi sorority, Thompson was reportedly invited to participate in the thirty-eighth season of The Amazing Race featuring Big Brother alumni but was ultimately not selected for the final cast.
Connection to Hailey Bieber's Health Experience
The patent foramen ovale condition identified in Thompson mirrors the same congenital heart defect that caused model Hailey Baldwin Bieber to experience a mini-stroke in Palm Springs, California during 2022. Medical professionals were initially puzzled about how a blood clot reached Bieber's brain, resulting in a transient ischemic attack (TIA).
The 29-year-old founder of Rhode skincare underwent comprehensive testing at UCLA Medical Center following surgical closure of the heart opening. 'Normally, this opening should close naturally after birth,' Bieber explained in a 2022 YouTube vlog. 'Doctors discovered I had a grade five PFO, the most severe classification, with a relatively large opening.'
Bieber detailed how blood clots typically filter through the lungs but in her case, 'the clot passed through the heart opening and travelled to my brain, causing the mini-stroke.' She expressed relief that the condition was identified, stating, 'I'm simply thankful they detected it and I can now move forward from this frightening episode and continue living my life.'
