“The Jeffersons” star Marla Gibbs has revealed that she nearly lost her life after suffering a brain aneurysm and stroke.
In an excerpt from her new memoir, “It’s Never Too Late,” obtained by People magazine, the 94-year-old actress, who played the abusive housekeeper Florence Johnson on the hit sitcom, which ran for 11 seasons from 1975 to 1985, reveals that she suffered a medical crisis in 2006.
Gibbs said she went through a long and difficult recovery that included rehabilitation, emotional struggles and relearning her body.
“Most people don’t survive a brain aneurysm, so I knew God still had a plan for me,” Gibbs wrote. “The more my strength and memory returned, the more challenges I encountered.”
“As I said before, I’m a Gemini and my mind is always curious and always working…not always in a good way,” she continued.
“For example, during rehab, he didn’t want to use diapers. He wanted to go to the bathroom by himself,” Gibbs explained.
“The bathroom was right next to my bed, so I couldn’t understand why they needed help getting there. Every time they left the room, I would sneak out of bed and fall on the floor.”
Gibbs said her family eventually asked medical personnel to strap her to the bed. However, although she admitted that she had begun to have personal doubts about her ability to make a full recovery, she recalled that she remained determined to regain her independence.
“I watched carefully as the nurses tied me up, so I was able to untie myself as soon as they left,” Gibbs wrote. “And, as you can imagine…I would be on the floor again. I said to myself, ‘Mara, we have to stop here. We’re not going to get anywhere.'” Something inside me kept saying, ‘We’re not done yet.’ ”
“But when I got home and saw this old lady staring back at me in the mirror, I said, ‘Maybe it’s over.’ Maybe my time as an actress is over,” she recalled.
In the years leading up to his stroke, Gibbs worked steadily, appearing in films such as The Visit and Madea’s Witness Protection, and guest starring on television shows such as ER, Cold Case, Passions, Early$$, and The Hughleys.
In addition to her work as an actress, Gibbs also embarked on a music career. In May 2006, she released a CD titled “It’s Never Too Late”.
Looking back, Gibbs explained that dealing with the emotional fallout of the health crisis and worries about the future was just as difficult as her physical recovery.
“The recovery was difficult and required every ounce of physical, mental and emotional strength,” she wrote. “I started wondering why this was happening, especially when I still had so many plans in my life. I was getting ready for a tour with a new jazz CD, and as they say, man plans and God laughs, but this wasn’t funny.”
“I fell into a deep depression,” she continued. “I felt like it was time to leave. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to do anything.”
“My family had a caretaker come and help us,” Gibbs added. “She made me breakfast and helped me clean, but it was just a tough time. It’s humbling to not be able to do anything on your own. In my head I thought I could walk, but I couldn’t walk without help.”
Gibbs recalled that she eventually entered an outpatient rehabilitation facility, where she received occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy.
“As I progressed, they had me do a light jog across the room,” she recalled. “My friend Crystal Carmichael from Detroit came to help me. The first day she was here, we went for a walk and I wanted to show her where she could jog, but she fell and hit her head.”
“It was embarrassing, but mostly disappointing,” she continued. “When I complained to the rehab center, the nurse said, ‘I didn’t tell you to jog at home!'” I finally accepted my situation in the recovery process. I have always been an independent woman juggling multiple projects. Now I was completely dependent and couldn’t do anything. ”
“Accepting the situation I was in during recovery was essential for me to heal, and I think acceptance is the key to healing in life.”
Over time, Gibbs recovered and returned to acting with guest appearances on hit television series such as “Lincoln Heights,” “House of Payne,” “Scandal,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “Black-ish,” “This Is Us,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Days of Our Lives.”
He recently appeared on “Chicago Med,” “The Upshaws,” “Will Trent” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
“It’s Never Too Late” will be published on February 24th
