Hayley Erbert Reflects on Her Year Filled with ‘Struggle and Heartbreak’ but ‘So Much Growth’ After Emergency Surgery

Hayley Erbert Hough is reflecting on the ups and downs of the last year since her medical emergency in December 2023.

The professional dancer, 30, shared on Instagram that she has “so many mixed emotions and feelings about this entire year” following her emergency surgery for a cranial hematoma.

“I have never experienced more struggle and heartbreak in my life while simultaneously feeling so much growth, love, and purpose,” she wrote alongside a montage of moments from the year. “This year was far from easy, but it was so necessary.” 

She continued: “Grateful for every moment; the hard ones, the beautiful ones, and everything in between. Here’s to carrying these lessons into the next chapter. ♥️”

The post featured a video — set to Coldplay’s “Fix You” — with moments from her life, including her triumphant return to the stage alongside husband Derek Hough, the pair sharing a sweet kiss and the highs and lows of her recovery journey.

The comment section was filled with support for Hayley.

“What a year my beautiful family – grateful to be on this journey of life with you two ❤️” sister-in-law Julianne Hough shared.

“Wow what a year of love, heartache , healing and growth. Love you both ❤️” Derek’s former Dancing with the Stars partner Amy Purdy wrote and Nina Dobrev added, “What a year 🥹🤍🥲”

The post comes less than a month after Hayley and Derek returned to the Washington D.C. venue where Hayley was rushed to the hospital following their show. She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and underwent an emergency craniectomy, which Derek revealed in a social media post at the time.

“It’s been exactly one year since Hayley almost lost her life,” Derek, 39, shared alongside a video of the pair onstage. “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.”

In the video, he explained how returning to the same stage allowed the couple to “change the story…to something beautiful,” before he invited Dr. Mai — who he said “saved Hayley’s life” — to join them on stage.

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“We changed the story of that room. We transformed it, from fear to beauty, from uncertainty to faith, and from despair to triumph,” Derek wrote in the caption.

He credited his wife — who he married just four months before her emergency surgery — for her “resilience, strength courage and pure elegance in how she has moved through this experience” as he wrote, “I am in awe everyday.”

“One year later, standing on that same stage, we know this: life is fragile, love is everything, and we are stronger than ever,” he concluded.