It's been a couple of truly terrifying months for Dancing with the Stars alum Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert. After Hayley underwent an emergency craniectomy after experiencing a cranial hematoma in December — along with a second surgery — she is now at home recovering and embracing her new look. This week, Hayley showed off her scar and her new buzz cut as she opened up about the way her health scare has changed her outlook on life.
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Hayley and Derek shared a video update on Instagram.
On Monday, Hayley and Derek shared a joint post from both of their Instagram accounts, writing, "Just wanted to update you guys and send you all so much love."
In the video, Hayley looks different from what fans are used to — her formerly long brown hair has been buzzed off.
She joked about all of the things the new year had brought her.
Along with a "new skull," Hayley added that she now has "a new haircut, a new scar, a new sac of fluid on the side of my face, which is eventually supposed to go away."
"To this day, I still have really good days and I have really bad days — emotionally and physically sometimes. But I’m doing so much better every single day," Hayley said in the video. "Truly there is so much progress every day, and I’m so grateful for that."
She also said she has a 'new outlook on life.'
"Life is so precious. Spend time with the ones you love. Hold them close cause you never know what could happen," she said, later adding, "I'm just grateful to be alive."
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Hayley's health crisis began to emerge in early December.
At the time, Derek shared that Hayley had become "disoriented," and after being taken to the hospital, they determined she had suffered a "cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy."
This wouldn't be Hayley's only surgery, though. Days later, she would be back in the ER for a cranioplasty.
"This surgery marks a significant milestone in my wife’s recovery journey, and your support has played a crucial role in getting us here," Derek wrote on Instagram at the time. "We are filled with hope and optimism for the future, knowing she is on the path to a full recovery, surrounded by such a loving community."
Now, it seems Hayley is experiencing better days.
And through it all, it appears she can count on Derek for his support.
"I have to say, throughout this experience this woman has been unbelievable and her perseverance and her acceptance of the whole situation, her strength, it’s been remarkable to witness firsthand," Derek said of his wife in the video. "She really is a miracle and it’s been miraculous and it’s still a journey."
