Tatum O’Neal On Her Near-Fatal Stroke: 'I Woke Up From a Coma Without Any Words'

The actress and Oscar winner, 59, is on the road to recovery after an overdose in 2020 left her with the inability to speak

A little over three years ago, Tatum O'Neal overdosed so severely that she had a near fatal stroke and fell into a six-week coma.

At times, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to speak again. “I woke up from a coma, without any words,” says the 59-year-old actress.

She tells the story of her remarkable — and ongoing — path to recovery in this week’s PEOPLE.  “I was in a coma and nobody could figure out if I was going to die or if I was going to live,” says O’Neal. “And I lived.”

To read more about Tatum O'Neal's journey toward recovery, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

O’Neal, who was diagnosed with aphasia (an injury to her brain that affects spoken and written language) is now working on regaining her full vocabulary and relearning to read with regular speech therapy.

Related: 6 Celebrities Who Have Dealt with Aphasia

Coming out of the coma, “the first thing I thought about was my mother,” recalls O’Neal, the daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal, 82, and his first wife Joanna Moore (who died in 1997).  “But I didn’t know where I was. What to think. And I had no words. Nothing.”

“She couldn’t say ‘I’m scared,’” says her eldest son Kevin McEnroe, 37.

At times, he and his younger siblings, Sean, 35, and Emily McEnroe, 32, (from their mom’s tumultuous marriage to tennis champ John McEnroe) weren’t sure what her quality of life would be —  when, or if — she woke up. 

“I was worried she might be like a vegetable,” says Kevin, “And what are we going to do — and then I got a call from the health care facility that she had escaped. And I remember thinking Tatum’s still in there and it actually made me happy. I thought she’s still in there, we’re going to get through this.”

“That might not have been the normal reaction,” adds Kevin. "But I just thought the fighter in her was overcoming some of this stuff.”

Tatum wasn't so sure at the time.

“I kept wanting to leave, I’ll tell you that,” she says.

“Three and a half years ago, the doctors had no anticipation that she would be able to speak, to see, to walk,” adds daughter Emily. “She’s an unbelievable survivor.”

To read more about Tatum O'Neal's journey toward recovery, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

Their mom’s decades-long struggle with drug addiction — an endless cycle of rehabs, recovery and relapse — has made a lasting impact on her three kids. They have bonded together in support of her recovery and hope their story can help others.  “Seeing her drive for sobriety right now, we’re all on this journey together,” says Emily. “Not going too far ahead and not going too far back. It’s just about trying. There’s no finish line but we can share in the pain and the joy and the frustration and the love — and all the in between. Living is in her favor.”

Related: Tatum O'Neal Shares Sweet Throwback Video to 1974 Oscar Win: 'Still the Youngest Ever to Win'

O’Neal continues to work on her newfound sobriety. “No more drugs. No more pills. I don’t want to use anymore,” says O’Neal, who wears a suboxone patch to treat opioid addiction and goes to daily (or more) twelve-step meetings. “I’m trying so hard with sobriety. I just take it one day at a time.”

Like his siblings, her son Sean McEnroe, is amazed by her resilience,  “What got me through this more than anything else was to trust that there’s something deeper involved here,” he says.

“Of all the millions of possibilities how she could have turned out after this, for her to have this incredible spirit is like — if you don’t believe in God, I don’t know how you cannot now because this is the biggest miracle I have ever witnessed. It feels like the universe saved her — and cared about her.” 

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.