The Game of Thrones Star Discussed Surviving Two Brain Aneurysms

Emilia Clarke wrote a deeply personal account of multiple life-threatening brain hemorrhages for The New Yorker magazine, going into detail about the ordeal during the first few seasons of “Game of Thrones.” The essay was Clarke’s first public assertion of her health problems, but she did reveal that she is completely fine now.

Because of her health issues, the actress was motivated into creating a charity that focuses on treating people with brain-related injuries, called SameYou. This charity is meant to help with the rehabilitation process, which can be grueling, difficult, and painful for the patients and their caregivers, due to the nature of brain injuries.

Clarke reports that she first felt something was wrong in 2011, shortly after the end of the first season of “Game of Thrones” was finished. During a workout routine, Clarke felt a headache coming on, followed by an excruciating pain she describes, “as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain.” She also states that she knew it had to be something involving her brain, a traumatic experience few people can relate to. Clarke nearly blacked out after collapsing in the gym locker room and was taken to the Whittington Hospital.

There, she was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a dangerous and often fatal brain aneurysm. The ordeal involved surgery, and a painful recovery process, as well as the doctors informing her of another, smaller aneurysm that had occurred on the other side of her brain.

This was all around the time of her initial fame surrounding her role in the hit TV show, and the beginning of filming for the second season. Clarke describes this time in her life as extremely painful, exhausting, and disorienting to say the least. She not only feared for her mental health, but her life as well.

This was all followed up with another bleed in her brain and more surgeries. This time, the doctors had to remove parts of her skull and the recovery was even more painful. As she says in her article, she “felt like a shell of her former self.”

The harrowing story details in depths look into the actress’s life, family, and personality. She is now using her fame and celebrity status to help others who have experienced similar health issues through her SameYou charity, and her article with The New Yorker is a fascinating and heartfelt look into this part of her life.