There’s a good reason Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast in roles like The Terminator and Conan the Barbarian: the bulky 6′ 2″ former bodybuilder always seemed about as indestructible as a human actor could possibly be.
But while Arnie might be an unkillable badass on screen, in real life he had a major, terrifying brush with death during a botched open-heart surgery.
In a recent YouTube video, the 76-year-old action star and former California governor opened up about his third open-heart surgery, which he says was a near-fatal “disaster.”
Schwarzenegger recalls he went in for what was supposed to be a non-invasive valve replacement surgery, but was abruptly woken up from anesthesia by doctors who told him they “made a mistake and poked through the heart wall.” The doctors said he had internal bleeding and they had to open him up to save his life.
“I was really freaking out,” Arnie says.
Suddenly, what was supposed to be a routine heart procedure turned into a difficult period of recovery at the hospital. But Schwarzenegger says he maintained a determined attitude despite the circumstances, focusing on a quick recovery.
“I was in the middle of a disaster,” Schwarzenegger says. “So now how do I get out of it? You have to shift gears. Collect yourself, shift gears, and say, ‘Okay what I need to do now is get out of this hospital.’ How do I get out of the hospital is getting out of my bed and start walking.”
Doctors told him that he had to exercise his lungs to prevent life-threatening pneumonia, so he took steps in the hospital hallway using a walker. While he says he “looked like an idiot,” he had friends visit him to cheer him on and count steps.
“I wanted to get really going with exercise, get out of the house as quickly as possible, and then get going with the training again because three months later I started with Terminator 6, so I had to be in shape. I had to move around, run around, lift things up, do the fight scenes, and all of these kinds of things.”
Thankfully, Schwarzenegger recovered, got out of the hospital and was on set filming Terminator: Dark Fate three months later, his last film in the iconic franchise. He has since continued to work, and starred in the Netflix action-comedy series FUBAR, which premiered in May.
At 76, Schwarzenegger has no plans on slowing down any time soon: speaking to the Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, he says he’s eating healthy, exercises and rides his bike every day, and has a healthy work-life balance.
“I love everything that I do. There’s no retiring,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “I’m still on this side of the grass, so I’m happy. My plan is to live forever — and so far, so good!”
What a terrifying thing to go through — we’re glad Arnold Schwarzenegger survived this botched surgery and is doing so well now!
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