'Botched'’s Terry Dubrow Says Wife Heather 'Saved My Life' After Suffering 'Terrifying' Mini-Stroke

“I love my wife, thank God for Heather and her persistence and insistence,” Terry Dubrow said after suffering a mini-stroke known as a transient ischemic attack

Terry Dubrow is crediting his wife for saving his life during a recent health scare.

The Botched star, 64, spoke to E! News about how he suffered a mini-stroke called Transient Ischemic Attack (or TIA) on August 3 while having dinner with his wife Heather Dubrow and their son Nicholas, 19.

During dinner, the Real Housewives of Orange County star, 54, noticed Terry was slurring his speech and told her son to call 911. Although paramedics said his vitals were normal, Heather insisted more tests be done at the hospital.

Doctors later confirmed that Terry had a patent foramen ovale (or PFO), which is a hole between the left and right atria (upper chambers) of the heart that didn’t close naturally after birth. The family learned that a blood clot passed through the PFO and traveled to his brain, causing him to suffer from a TIA, which is a stroke that lasts only a few minutes and occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is briefly interrupted.

"I learned many things from this terrifying experience," Terry told the outlet. "One: If you or anyone around you shows possible signs of a stroke, time is critical. You have five hours to get to a hospital to save your life. Two: If you have traveled recently, make sure you move frequently to keep blood flowing to prevent clots. Three: PFO is more common (20-30%) than people realize and TIAs and strokes can occur in anyone at any age."

"Listen to your partner. If they are concerned about something don't argue, don't ignore and get it checked out right away. What they see may be very different than what you perceive,” the plastic surgeon continued. “Be grateful for those who love you. I love my wife, thank God for Heather and her persistence and insistence. She truly saved my life."

Related: Blood Clots Like Hailey Baldwin Bieber's Are Happening in 'Younger and Younger People'

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Symptoms of a TIA are similar to a stroke, including numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body), vision difficulties, confusion, loss of balance, and difficulty walking.

However, symptoms don’t last as long and symptoms typically disappear within an hour but can persist for up to 24 hours, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. TIAs are often warning signs that a person is at risk for a more serious and debilitating stroke.

Similar to Terry, Hailey Baldwin Bieber also suffered from a TIA last year and was hospitalized.

"I had a small blood clot that traveled through a hole in my heart that I was born with that never closed, and went to my brain," the 26-year-old model recalled on Live with Kelly and Ryan. "I never knew I had the hole in my heart, so it's actually a blessing in disguise because then I discovered that and I had a procedure done to close it. So now I have a device in my heart forever."

"It was the scariest thing I've ever gone through," she said at the time. "The biggest thing it affected was my speech, so that was really scary. I knew what I was trying to say but my tongue and my mouth couldn't form the sentences. And I had like, facial drooping for a couple minutes. ... I'm OK now, I feel good. Still trying to give my body time to heal."

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