Emilia Clarke is thankful for the "unbelievable" paramedics who helped save her life when she suffered a brain aneurysm.
Emilia Clarke
The 'Game of Thrones' actress has endured two health scares in 2011 and 2013, and has said that during her first experience with an aneurysm, the emergency staff who brought her to hospital were "so gracious", and were even able to make her "giggle" whilst she feared for her life.
She explained: "It was a brain aneurysm that ruptured, and it was pretty traumatic. The paramedics were unbelievable. They'd given me drugs so I was in less pain, wrapped me up like a tortilla and made me laugh the whole way to the hospital. There I was, bleeding in the brain, and there we were in this ambulance having an absolute giggle. They were so gracious."
Emilia, 33, first opened up about her health scares in March this year, when she said she underwent two life-saving surgeries in the course of eight years to correct two different aneurysm growths.
The 'Last Christmas' star suffered setbacks in her recovery including aphasia - which is a loss of speech - and credits her mother with being the "greatest" support for her as she recovered.
She said: "There was also my mum, when she went into mum superpower in the hospital: I had aphasia [loss of speech], and she looked at me and went, 'Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.' She made me believe she understood exactly what I was saying. It was genuinely her greatest moment."
Following her health battle, Emilia launched the charity SameYou, which helps raise money for people recovering from brain injuries and strokes.
She also became an ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing in 2018, after being met with "kind" nurses during her time in hosptial.
Speaking to People magazine for their first ever Kindness Issue - which highlights the ways kindness can make a difference and change lives - she said: "Every single nurse I came across was so kind. It's why I became ambassador to the Royal College of Nursing in 2018. Nurses are the unsung heroes, they're at people's most frightening moments.
"The whole experience inspired me to launch my charity SameYou. People's lives are transformed completely after a brain injury, and the core of our work is recovery - it's not just the first weeks that you need help, you still need help for years. I wanted to match someone with a consistent person who has the answers and can hold their hand and tell them that they're not alone. Being there when someone is scared, confused or angry is one of the kindest things you can do."
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