Sandra Lee—better known to fans as “Dr. Pimple Popper”—is opening up about a frightening health scare that changed her outlook on life.
The 55-year-old revealed that she suffered an ischemic stroke last November, an experience that forced her to slow down and reassess her priorities.
Looking back, Lee said the ordeal served as a wake-up call while speaking with PEOPLE.
Lee Opens Up About the Stroke
“It helped remind me like, ‘Look, I’ve got to take better care of myself and I really have to enjoy the time with my family and my friends,’” she shared.
At the time, Lee was already navigating a major life transition with her husband, Jeffrey Rebish.
After sending their youngest son off to college, the couple had just entered a new chapter as empty nesters.
“It’s like a transition,” Lee explained. “It’s a change in your life, like these kids don’t need you anymore.”
She added that her husband captured the shift perfectly, recalling his words: “Look, once they go to college, they might never come home again.”
As they adjusted to this new normal—and even downsized their home in Los Angeles—life threw unexpected challenges their way.
Earlier in the year, Lee and her husband were forced to evacuate due to nearby wildfires.
“It was night time and they said ‘get out,’” she recalled. “The fire came about a mile from us. It was crazy, you’re like, ‘What world am I living in?’”
Months later, while filming her show, she experienced something even more alarming.
Describing the stroke, Lee said plainly, “What essentially happened is I had a part of my brain that died.”
After undergoing months of physical and occupational therapy, Lee has made a strong recovery and is now nearly back to normal. In hindsight, she’s found a surprising sense of perspective.
“Maybe it’s actually good that it happened then because this is a transition time where we’re trying to focus more on ourselves,” she said. “So maybe [the stroke] actually happened at a better time if it was going to happen.”
Still, the emotional weight of the experience hasn’t been easy to shake.
It Has Been Emotional for Lee
For the first time, Lee said she was forced to confront difficult questions about her future.
“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve thought, ‘You have kids, are you going to be here for them? Are you going to live to see your grandkids?’” she recalled.
Her sons, both now in college on the East Coast, noticed subtle changes during her recovery.
“They could see that I was walking slower and that I had a little more trouble speaking,” she said.
Even so, Lee made an effort to stay positive for their sake. “I don’t dwell on it or make them worried. I just tend to be like, ‘I’m okay.’”
Now, as she prepares for the return of her show, Lee is moving forward with a renewed sense of gratitude—and a commitment to putting her health first.
