'Yellowstone' spinoff star Danielle Vasinova says she 'died' for 3 minutes: "I could barely walk..."
Danielle Vasinova, best known for her role in upcoming projects like '1923' and 'The Madison', has shared a deeply personal and emotional story about how she almost lost her life. The actress revealed how a sudden illness caused her heart to stop beating for three minutes, leaving her forever changed, during a candid interview with People.
The harrowing experience occured in December 2019, months before the world knew about Covid-19. When Danielle first started feeling sick, she thought she had the flu, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. Misdiagnosed with strep throat at an urgent care center in Los Angeles, she was sent home with antibiotics, but her symptoms grew alarming overnight.
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“By the next day, I could barely walk. My legs wouldn’t move. It was bizarre,” Danielle recalled with People Magazine. Feeling an overwhelming sense of danger, she had what she described as a chilling premonition, “I felt like I was going to die.” Her uncle rushed her to the emergency room, and what happened next was like something out of a movie. Danielle’s heart stopped.
Medical staff fought desperately to save her life. “He said people were running around me, and a tiny girl jumped on top of my chest and began pumping, pumping, pumping. And then he saw my heartbeat on the monitor just go. Flatlined,” she said. For three minutes, Danielle’s heart wasn’t beating. Thanks to the quick thinking and heroic actions of an ER nurse, she was brought back to life. Once stabilized, she was moved to the intensive care unit and placed in a medically induced coma. The illness had caused her organs to completely shut down, something she later learned was due to Covid-19.
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Reflecting on the terrifying ordeal, Danielle described how it changed her forever. “This felt like the turning point in my life. The death, and the rebirth,” she said, adding, “I know to take nothing for granted. Life is so precious and it is such a gift. We’re here to do some good in the world, to be of service, and to be forever grateful.” Danielle spent the following weeks recovering, both physically and emotionally and has since dedicated herself to appreciating every moment of life. “It just rocked my world,” she admitted.
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Now fully recovered, Danielle is ready to step back into the spotlight with her new role in 'The Madison', a spinoff of the hit series 'Yellowstone'. In the show, she plays Kestrel, “an indigenous woman married to a Montana rancher who lives with her family on a double-wide trailer on Stacy’s ranch.”
After surviving such a life-changing event, she’s eager to channel her experiences into her work and continue moving forward with a renewed sense of purpose. She hopes her story will inspire others to cherish every moment and never take anything for granted. Her message is simple yet powerful, “Life is so precious and it is such a gift.” After nearly losing it all, Danielle is more determined than ever to welcome every opportunity and make a positive impact on the world.