Sandra Lee, widely known from the TV show Dr. Pimple Popper, has shared details about a serious health scare after suffering a stroke while filming her spin-off series, Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.
She explained that the incident began with symptoms she initially dismissed as a hot flash.
While on set, she suddenly felt extremely sweaty and unwell. After returning to her parents’ home, her condition worsened.
“I just felt very restless. In one leg, I kept feeling shooting pains,” she told People.
She started having trouble walking and noticed weakness on the left side of her body.
“I would hold my hand out, and it would just slowly collapse. I noticed that I had a tough time articulating and enunciating,” she said.
“I thought, ‘Am I having a stroke?’”
A huge shock
Realizing something was very wrong, she went to the hospital, where doctors confirmed she had suffered an ischemic stroke—a condition in which blood flow to part of the brain is blocked, causing brain cells to die.
“It was just a shock. As a physician, I couldn’t deny that I had slurred speech and weakness on one side, but I was like, ‘Well, this is a dream, right?’” she said.
“What essentially happened is I had a part of my brain that died.”
The experience forced Sandra to pause filming for about two months while she focused on recovery. During that time, she underwent physical therapy to regain basic motor skills. She admitted the ordeal was frightening and left her dealing with lingering emotional stress, especially since it happened during filming. Despite the challenges, the Dr. Pimple Popper star has since returned to work and says she feels mostly back to normal. However, the incident has made her more mindful of her health—especially managing stress, blood pressure, and cholesterol, all of which are key risk factors for stroke.
Lee, 55, who signed with TLC in 2018 to have her own series, is now using her platform to raise awareness, encouraging people to take stroke symptoms seriously and seek immediate medical help.
She also highlighted that in some cultures, strokes are not openly discussed, and she hopes to help change that by speaking out.
Key stroke warning signs to remember (FAST):
Face: Drooping on one side
Arms: Weakness or inability to lift both arms
Speech: Slurred or confused speech
Time: Act quickly and seek emergency care
Her message is clear: recognizing symptoms early and acting fast can save lives and reduce long-term damage.
What a scary experience! We wish Sandra Lee all the best and hope she makes a full recovery.
