Demi Lovato says she suffered heart attack, strokes and brain damage due to overdose

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Demi Lovato’s overdose of drugs in 2018 resulted in the singer having three strokes and a heart attack, leaving her with physical limitations that still affect her.

Lovato reveals for the first time details about the almost fatal incident in ‘Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil’, a four-part document that appears on YouTube Originals on March 23. In the trailer, Lovato says doctors told her family she has five to ten minutes to live.

“I left brain damage and still deal with the consequences today,” she said in a video call on Wednesday. ‘I do not drive a car because I have blind spots on my face. I read very hard for a long time. It was a big problem when I could read a book, like two months later, because my vision was so vague. ‘

Lovato said the lasting effects “are still there to remind me of what can happen if I get in a dark place again.”

The 28-year-old singer, who wore pink hair during the call, has been working since the age of 10 when she appeared in the TV series “Barney & Friends”. She went to rehabilitation for the first time at 18, after struggling with bipolar disorder, anorexia and bullying.

Lovato shared her private struggle previously, in a 2012 MTV documentary and in a YouTube documentary in 2017 in which she said she was still dealing with alcohol and cocaine addiction after further rehabilitation. She said that in public about these programs is given the liability that kept her sober for six years until her relapse in 2018.

“My goal in highlighting this is to help people who have been on the same path as me,” she said. “I wanted to set the record, and I wanted to make it all known to my fans.”

Lovato’s family, as well as Elton John and Christina Aguilera, are among the interrogators in the document, which was shot over a year. In the third segment, Lovato discusses traumas in her life.

Lovato is not associated with artists who claim to be most creative when they are in a dark place or using drugs. “I feel like the best job I do is when I’m present and when I’m aware of what’s going on in my life,” she said. “It was then that the truth just flowed out of me. As long as I keep telling my truth, I’m going to make music that resonates with people. ā€

Lovato re-launched her singing career during the Grammy Awards last year and sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Last month, Lovato sang on a special TV show that marked the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

Despite her near-death experience, Lovato would not change what happened to her. “Everything had to happen so I could learn the lessons I learned,” she said. ‘I look back and sometimes I get sad when I think of the pain I had to endure to overcome what I have. I’m so proud of the person I am today. One of the main reasons I come forward is that I will never have to lead that life again. ā€

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National lifeline for suicide prevention. You can also send HOME to 741-741 for free, 24 hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside the US, please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.

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