Michelle Elman, the life coach and regular contributor to ITV's This Morning, has issued a worrying health update after being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. The 33-year-old, who was born with hydrocephalus – a condition characterised by an imbalance in the production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid, often called 'water on the brain' – has also been living with a brain tumour since birth.
Last week, Elman underwent her 19th operation, and on Monday she took to Instagram to share her struggles after five months of constant surgeries. She admitted that she had been 'near death multiple times' and that 'living a long life isn't the goal', reflecting on her time in a hospital bed.
Elman stated: 'I want my brain and my body to work and if I'm confined to a hospital bed, I don't want it and if this is all the time I have left then I am happy with that. Frankly, I've had more time than I ever thought I would get because I thought I wouldn't be here past the age of 21.'
She also recalled a near-death experience at age 11, when she flatlined after brain surgery. 'I had the fortunate moment at 11 years old of flatlining, floating above my body and ever since that moment I've believed that death is peaceful,' she said. Despite her ordeal, Elman maintained a light-hearted tone, joking about new scars on her neck and collarbone, and quipping about her priorities upon waking from surgery.
