Sylvester Stallone’s daughter, Sophia Stallone has spoken about the health condition she was born with that affects her heart.
In an episode of The Family Stallone, 26-year-old Sophia Stallone candidly spoke about the condition she was born with. Sophia explained that she was born with a hole in the heart, but her family has no idea of the condition until she became sick at 2 months old.
Sophia’s mother, Jennifer Flavin, explained on their Paramount+ reality show that it was a struggle to get to the bottom of her daughter’s medical issues. Out of 12 doctors, “no one could figure it out.” It was only due to her mother Jennifer “sheer determination” that they “found a doctor that found the hole.”
After the hole in her heart was discovered, Sophia underwent surgery where doctors corrected a congenital malformation of a valve. In the episode, Sophia went for her annual check-up and was told the patch over the hole in her heart is still in place, confirming, “You’re great – your heart’s great.”
Why Sophia Stallone Had To Have Heart Surgery When She Was A Teenager
After living a healthy life for several years, when she was 16, Sophia fainted while playing volleyball. “It was really having to go from living this normal life when I was 16 to having to have my chest sawed open,” she said. “The moment I found out I needed an operation was one of the most pivotal experiences of my entire life because I never had to consider death before.”
Reflecting on that period in her life, Sophia said it was “really traumatizing” and a “really hard” time for all of her family, including her mother, who had “rashes all over her body,” and her father, who couldn’t even talkto her “without crying” about it.
Before the successful operation in 2012, Sophia spoke to Paris Match about her health, “Every day I think of my heart. I eat really healthy, and as I get more tired than normal, I have to be very careful when doing sports.”
How Sylvester Stallone Feels About His Daughter’s Illness
In the recent episode of their reality show, which follows Sylvester Stallone and his family, Sophia explained that her famous father hadn’t really spoken about her heart surgery. She admitted the Rocky actor hasn’t brought up the topic because “he really didn’t know how to deal with it.”
But after joining him in Oklahoma City, where he has been filming Tulsa King, Sophia brought it up. During a visit to the museum, she spoke about the PTSD she suffered after her second heart operation. The Rambo star agreed the ordeal was “devastating.”
The Oscar-nominated star teared up as he recalled Sophia’s first surgery as a baby. He explained that he was faced with every parent’s nightmare when was told to say “kiss his baby goodbye” as she was taken into surgery.
He also admitted the family feel a “weight on their hearts,” every year when Sophia has to go for a doctor’s check-up. The whole family can do nothing but hope she won’t be told she’ll need any further surgery. “That would be… devastating is too gentle of a word,” he explained.
During an appearance on Today earlier this year, Sophia’s sister Sistine revealed how their father’s overprotective nature affected their love lives. Sistine admitted dating has been difficult for her and her sisters because “He’s quite intimidating to most, and most of the time when they come over to meet the parents, they don’t necessarily return, simply because he’s just so scary.”
Sylvester Stallone’s Son Died Of Heart Disease.
It’s a scary time for any father, but this was added stress on Sylvester Stallone after he lost his son to a similar disease. Sophia’s half-brother and Sylvester’s eldest son Sage Moonblood, died of heart disease in 2012, at the age of just 36. Although there were rumors at the time of drug misuse, the final report confirmed he passed away due to atherosclerosis, which brought on a heart attack.
The family were forced to end speculation and release a public statement at the time. “When a parent loses a child there is no greater pain,” the Expendables star said in a statement to TMZ. Sage acted in several movies, including Daylight and Rocky V with his famous father.
“Therefore, I am imploring people to respect my talented son’s memory and feel compassion for his loving mother, Sasha. This agonizing loss will be felt for the rest of our lives. Sage was our first child and the center of our universe, and I am humbly begging for all to have my son’s memory and soul left in peace.”
Sophia Stallone Puts On A Brave Face For Her Family
In his private confessional interview on The Family Stallone, Sylvester Stallone explained that it was “horrible,” and that Sophia was so “brave.” The family were all “falling apart” but she put on a “brave face”, while he was “scared to death.”
Sophia explained that the day she found out she had to have another surgery, everyone around her was crying, so she felt she had to keep her feelings hidden until they all left her hospital room. She felt she had to hold it all together for her family.
Despite her health issues, Sophia Stallone successfully obtained a degree in communications with a minor in entrepreneurship and film from the University of Southern California in 2019. From a young age, she had an interest in becoming an entrepreneur and owning her own fashion and makeup line.
In a 2017 interview, Sophia explained that she hoped to have a career like Kylie Jenner. She admitted she has very little interest in following in her father’s footsteps and instead would like to be an entrepreneur and model like her mother. Alongside appearing in a Paramount+ reality show alongside her family, she has a podcast called Unwaxed.