Hayley Erbert Hough is marking two years since she underwent brain surgery — and marveling at how much can change in such a short period of time.
“Two years ago today, I was given a second chance at life through life-saving brain surgery,” Erbert, 31, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, December 6, sharing stunning black-and-white pictures of the mom-to-be cradling her growing baby bump.
“In these two years I’ve gone through every human emotion imaginable, the kind that cracks you open and the kind that puts you back together,” she continued in the caption. “I’ve reclaimed parts of myself I thought I’d never find again, rediscovered who I am, and moved through seasons of loss, triumph, joy, endless fear, grief, healing and quiet hope. It was a whirlwind to say the least.. But I’m truly grateful for it all, and so incredibly proud of myself and my body for everything it has endured.
She added, “What a miracle it is that two years ago I was fighting for my life… and now, here I am creating life.”
Erbert married fellow dancer Derek Hough after the pair met on the set of Dancing With the Stars. After first sparking a romance in 2015, they announced their engagement in 2022 and said “I do” in August 2023.
In July of this year, the pair delighted fans when they announced they are expecting their first child together.
Earlier last month, Erbert Hough and her husband opened up exclusively to Us Weekly about her near-fatal emergency that led to her diagnosis.
“Ironically, I’m talking about how precious life is and how to savor this short time that we have here and the loved ones we have,” Derek, 40, recalled to Us, referring to the night on December 6, 2023, when the Dancing With the Stars pro took the stage to perform with his wife in honor of the late judge, Len Goodman.
“And as I’m saying those words, not realizing it, Hayley was on the side of the stage, having seizures and essentially dying.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Hayley was suffering a near-fatal cranial hematoma.
“I just remember being on stage,” she says. “I do remember being in a lot of pain… [but] I remember dancing, and then my world just went black.”
After she was rushed to a nearby hospital, Hayley underwent an emergency cranieotomy in which 40 percent of her skull was removed in an attempt to save her life.
“I was told… she might not survive, and even if she does, she most likely won’t be the same person,” Derek recalled to Us. “That was a devastating moment. When people say your whole world comes crashing down, I think it’s accurate because it really feels like that. The room just falls on you.”
Since then, Hayley has made a full recovery, telling Us that what she endured was easily “one of the most difficult times of my life.”
“I could [have sat there] and just been ‘poor me’ all day long, every single day,” she continued. “But I was like, no — there’s so much beauty in this life still. And I want to live for it.”
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