Hollywood star and fitness icon Arnold Schwarzenegger battled with his greatest health struggle for years. He underwent three serious heart surgeries, two of them consecutively. While the cause behind Arnold’s heart condition was unavoidable, the awareness of the issue was not. The former athlete’s condition was kept a secret by his closest family member for long. 

Arnold’s mother, Aurelia was hiding the life-threatening secret about their family condition which was later passed on to the actor. Appearing in an interview once, Arnie revealed how he found out about their underlying family condition for the first time in his life. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger was clueless about his grave health concern

The 76-year-old actor once spoke in an interview explaining the chain of events that drew him closer to the news of his heart condition. After his mother complained of a slight heart problem, Arnie took her to UCLA. During the checkup, Aurelia disclosed her family’s past health complication, bicuspid aortic valve. 

Trending

“Doctor Has Never Seen This Happen Before”: After 6hr Long Heart Surgery, Joey Swoll Drops Health Update

April 30, 2024 04:00 PM EDT

Exercise Scientist Reveals an Unlikely Benefit of Using Creatine: “Many People Did Not See Coming”

May 01, 2024 10:59 AM EDT

Chris Bumstead Opens Up About His Crucial Revelation After Just One Week of Fatherhood

May 02, 2024 12:15 PM EDT

Reigning Mr. Olympia Stuns Fans With Latest Physique Update Ahead of Pittsburgh Pro Guest Posing

May 01, 2024 12:45 PM EDT

Arnold Schwarzenegger Busts Myth Surrounding Infamous Shoulder Press Variation: “Activate More Muscle Fibers”

May 02, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest Bodybuilding stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Arnie was shocked and clueless. “which was the first time I kind of heard that,” he said. Additionally, his mother revealed that Arnie’s grandmother suffered from the same condition and passed away aged 67. Arnold recalled while talking to In Depth With Graham Bensinger in 2016, “So they said, well you know it’s obviously something that is being passed down.” 

The doctors urged him to do routine heart checkups from then on. Therefore, after Arnold finished filming True Lies in 1994, he was cautioned by the doctors that his heart performance was declining, calling for a valve replacement soon. Hence, after Arnold finished working on Batman & Robin in 1997, he got both his valves replaced. Nevertheless, it was not the end of his battle. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger was yet to be cured

The initial protocol for valve replacement did not work on Arnold. His blood pressure was too heavy for the pulmonary valve replaced in place of the aortic one. Thus, Arnie was informed about the need for a subsequent surgery by the doctors, at 3 a.m. in the morning. Naturally terrified, Arnie acknowledged his “disastrous situation” and complied with the doctors on what had to be done. 

“Everybody Thinks It’s Weird”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Daughter Makes an Unheard Revelation About Her and Little Sister

The actor also noted that the second surgery had a rather serious connotation in comparison to the former one. Fortunately, the final surgery was a success, and Arnie never faced any relative issues even years later. 

Watch this story | From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ronnie Coleman, Here Are the Top Bodybuilders With the Best Nicknames

Despite being a man of such stature, the Austrian Oak was not afraid of the worst consequences. He stood firm on his decision to get his valves replaced and ended the age-old family secret that had taken her grandmother’s and apparently, mother’s life.