Madeline Stuart is showing her fans her boundless strength once again.
The Australian model, 22, famous for being the world’s first “super model with down syndrome,” as she writes on her Instagram, revealed Sunday that heart problems sent her to the hospital.
“So today we checked into hospital, unfortunately I have gone into heart failure and my heart has enlarged to a point where if they do not operate it will not be able to be fixed,” Stuart captioned a photo of herself wearing pajamas and having her blood pressure checked.
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“Tomorrow morning I will have open heart surgery to hopefully repair my Mitral valve that has reached a 4 out of 4 defect,” she continued. “I am sorry I have not shared this news sooner but it has been a very stressful time. I know you will all be praying for me and I am so very grateful for that. I love you all.”
Then, on Monday afternoon (local time), Stuart’s mom Rosanne wrote on her daughter’s Instagram account that she was with “an amazing team” and that her surgery would last between seven and eight hours.
“Thank you for all your beautiful messages and we will update you when all is over,” Roseanne added.
In February this year, Stuart opened up to fans about her heart troubles, sharing that she felt the healthiest she had in a while.
“Three years in the making … at my last check-up my doctor said it had not enlarged, as it is no longer working so hard to maintain the three holes and leaky Mitral valve. Looks like I might never have to go through open heart surgery again, if I maintain my health,” she wrote in a Facebook story.
According to CNN, the model had to undergo open-heart surgery at eight weeks old and she was given only a 13 percent chance of survival. But she did, and has since gone on to make an impact in the fashion industry.
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Stuart made waves in 2015, when she walked New York Fashion Week, teamed with the fitness brand Manifesta and became the first model with Down Syndrome to land a beauty brand contract — hers is with Glossigirl.
“I think we’re going to have an amazing year to come,” Stuart said at the time.
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