Reality star Derek Hough has issued a plea to fans as his wife prepares to have a “large portion of her skull” replaced.
The six-time Dancing with the Stars champion-turned-judge, 38, shared a message to his 3.3 million followers overnight, revealing Hayley Erbert, 29, was undergoing another surgery imminently.
“I strongly believe all the prayers that have been sent with the intention and love of Hayley’s recovery has helped so much,” Hough wrote. “I can’t thank you all enough.”
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“Please keep her in your prayers as I believe the collective energy helped her through these past few weeks,” he continued.
“We love you we thank you.”
On December 6, after the couple’s Symphony of Dance tour stop in Washington, D.C., Erbert started presenting with cranial hematoma symptoms.
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A day later, she was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and was rushed into emergency surgery.
It was during the emergency craniectomy that a part of Erbert’s skull was removed, and Hough revealed last week his wife would need a skull implant to replace it.
“It will restore the skull to its natural shape and protect the brain from injury,” Hough wrote on Saturday on Instagram alongside a video of the couple walking down the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
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In the video, Erbert can be seen wearing a protective helmet.
Hough noted that although Erbert’s ”recovery process has been nothing short of a miracle” and she’s “doing well”, Erbert “still has a ways to go”.
“It has also shown us the incredible strength and resilience that lies within us and the power of having a supportive community around us,” Hough’s message – where he noted Erbert’s “life-threatening event” had become a “profound reminder of how fragile life can be and how quickly things can change” – continued.
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“We cannot express enough gratitude to each of you for your unwavering support, messages, prayers and undeniable loving energy we have both felt during this time,” he wrote.
“While this isn’t the holiday season either of us envisioned, it’s one that we’re incredibly grateful to have. We look forward to cherishing these moments with a deeper appreciation for life and the people in it.”
He added that Erbert and himself are “filled with hope and relief” about her recovery.
The couple married in California in August this year after getting engaged in June 2022.