Actress Sharon Stone says that only her father came to her aid after she nearly died in 2001, adding, “If you want to live with solid citizens, don’t come to Hollywood.”
“I lost all those things that you feel are your real identity and your life,” Stone told PEOPLE.
In 2001, the Casino star was given a 1 percent chance of living after a ruptured vertebral artery bled into her brain.
“My father was there for me, but I would say that was about it,” Stone told the outlet. “I understand if you want to live with solid citizens, don’t come to Hollywood.”
Sharon Stone and father Joe during AFI Fest 2006 Black Tie Opening Night Gala and US Premiere of Emilio Estevez’s “Bobby” – Arrivals in Los Angeles, California, United States. (SGranitz/WireImage)
Before her health problem in 2001, the actress was thriving in Hollywood. She had won an Oscar for her performance in the 1995 film Casino, and had adopted a son with her husband, newspaper editor Phil Bronstein.
But after her health incident, Stone and Bronstein got divorced in 2004, and then Hollywood stopped calling, the actress said.
“I lost everything,” the Basic Instinct star told PEOPLE. “I lost all my money. I lost custody of my child. I lost my career. I lost all those things that you feel are your real identity and your life.”
“I never really got most of it back,” she added. “But I’ve reached a point where I’m okay with it, where I really do recognize that I’m enough.”
These days, Stone is a board member of the Barrow Neurological Foundation, which supports her brain surgeon Dr. Michael Lawton’s medical institute. The actress is also set to host its annual Neuro Night fundraiser at the end of the month.
The foundation’s mission is to save human lives “through innovative treatment, groundbreaking, curative research and educating the next generation of the world’s leading neuro clinicians.”
Dr. Lawton, whom Stone credits for saving her life, said the Silver star is “an inspiration to those who suffer from anything neurological.”
In addition to her work with the Barrow Neurological Foundation, Stone also enjoys playing pickleball, telling PEOPLE that the game is “just so much fun,” and has “helped me find my pure center.”
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