Marla Gibbs is lucky to be alive. The 94-year-old actress, who is best known for her role as Florence Johnson on The Jeffersons, has revealed that she suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke in 2006.
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"Most people do not survive brain aneurysms, so I knew God still had plans for me," Gibbs wrote in her her new memoir "It's Never Too Late" with an excerpt being obtained by People. "The more my strength and memory came back, the more trouble I got into."
During Marla's recount of recovery, she detailed her strong-willed nature and the uphill battle she faced when trying to get back to her feet following the terrifying ordeal.
"As I said before, I'm Gemini and my mind is always curious and always working ... not always for the better," she wrote. "For instance, I did not want to use the diapers while in rehab. I wanted to go to the bathroom on my own. The bathroom was right next to my bed so I could not understand why I needed help to get there. Every time they would leave the room, I would sneak out of the bed and end up on the floor."
Marla Gibbs Refused To Let Her Health Scare Get the Better of Her
Marla's determination to do things on her own eventually led to her family requesting that she be tied to the bed, for her own safety. However, even being tied up wouldn't stop her from getting back on her feet, regardless of how difficult it was.
"I watched carefully as the nurses tied me up, so I could untie myself as soon as they left," Gibbs wrote. "And you guessed it ... I'd be on the floor again. I said to myself, 'Marla, we gotta stop ending up down here, we're not getting anywhere.' There was just something inside me that kept saying, 'It ain't over.'"
Eventually, Marla made a miraculous recovery. Still, that hasn't removed the memory of what happened and fear what the future may hold.
"Recovery was hard, and it took every ounce of physical, mental and spiritual strength I could muster," she wrote. "I started questioning why it happened, especially when I still had so many plans for my life. I was getting ready to tour with my new jazz CD, but as they say, man makes plans and God laughs. This wasn't funny, though."
Fortunately, Marla's recovery went better than most of us could ever wish for. She's since returned to acting, making appearances in Black-ish, Grey's Anatomy and Days Of Our Lives, among other shows. She's shown incredible fortitude. We're just glad she made a full recovery and is back to doing what she loves.
