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American dancer and choreographer Derek Hough's wife Hayley Erbert returned to the stage where she almost lost her life, reported E! News.
For over a month, the member of the 'Dancing With the Stars' troupe has been travelling with her husband on the 'Dance for the Holidays' Tour. Recently, he and the series judge returned to perform at the MGM National Harbour in Oxon Hill, Maryland, where she had to have emergency skull surgery after suffering a cranial haematoma during a 2023 performance. "Obviously, tonight, it's a very, very special night, to be back here on this stage, one year later," Derek said, standing beside Hayley and several more dancers, as seen in a video shared on the couple's Instagram pages. "To change the story of this room, of this stage, to something beautiful." On December 6, 2023, Hayley was performing with Derek at the same location as part of his Symphony of Dance tour when she became disoriented. She was rushed to a hospital and diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel. "She underwent an emergency craniectomy, in which part of her skull was removed to ease pressure on her brain, and later had an implant installed in another operation. At the Nov. 24 performance, Derek invited to the stage the doctor who performed the surgeries, Washington, D.C.-based Dr. Jeffrey Mai, who then walked up and shared a hug with Hayley, as per E! News. "This was the man that was there at 3 in the morning that saved Hayley's life," said Derek, adding, "He was there. He gave us comfort. He gave us love. And I just cannot be more thankful to have you here, so much. I mean, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Dr. Mai, please."In the video's caption, Derek and Hayley reflected further on her medical emergency. "It's been exactly one year since Hayley almost lost her life," they wrote. "We returned to the very same stage, the same room where we once felt so much fear and uncertainty. A place where I stood frozen, terrified, praying for a miracle. But tonight, we changed the story of that room." They continued, "We transformed it, from fear to beauty, from uncertainty to faith, and from despair to triumph. And having Dr. Mai, the man who saved her life, standing on that stage with us made it all the more powerful. We got to share a moment on stage thanking him for the gift of more time, more memories, and more love." As part of the Symphony of Dance tour, which was partially cancelled due to Hayley's medical issue, she made her formal dance comeback in April when she joined Derek onstage in Melbourne, Florida. She made a triumphant comeback to Dancing with the Stars in October, performing alongside her spouse to Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things." "I'm so grateful to Hayley," Derek wrote in the post. "She has blown me away with her resilience, strength courage and pure elegance in how she has moved through this experience. I am in awe everyday." The couple added, "One year later, standing on that same stage, we know this: life is fragile, love is everything, and we are stronger than ever," reported People. (ANI)
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