Dr. Terry and Heather Dubrow Reveal Why They Came Forward With the Plastic Surgeon's Near Stroke: 'It's More Common Than You May Think'

Dr. Terry Dubrow is making his recent health scare his new mission.

After the Botched physician nearly suffered a stroke which turned out to be a patent foramen ovale (or PFO) — which is a hole between the left and right atria (upper chambers) of the heart that didn't close naturally after birth — he and his wife, Heather Dubrow, are spreading awareness about understanding the signs to avoid the life-threatening scare.

The plastic surgeon and The Real Housewives of Orange County star chat exclusively with OK! about the terrifying moment Heather knew something was wrong with her husband, why they came forward with their harrowing story, and what others can do to be cautious of possible stroke symptoms.

"I just felt that I had some food in my mouth," Terry recalls how he felt when Heather noticed he began slurring his speech. "It was so delicious. It was my favorite restaurant. It was the restaurant where I met Heather, where we had all of our anniversaries. Which, by the way, is a very public place."

"Heather stood right up and said, 'Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?' She wanted me to spit it out because she didn't know if I was choking," he adds. "She immediately told Nikki [their son] to call 911."

Although the physician was eager to keep the entire ordeal under wraps after he eventually was convinced by his wife, son, and fellow doctor friends to get himself to the hospital, a few days later, Terry got a call from a media outlet which became the kicker for him to come forward with the story.

The reality star recalled the person on the other end of the phone saying, "'We've got a lot of videos and a lot of reports about a fight you were having at the Ivy with Heather." Terry and Heather then decided to make the best of the situation and spread awareness with their experience. "It's his story to tell. He tells it whatever time he wants. But for me and the family, I wanted it to relax," the actress says, originally wanting to keep it private. "I said, 'Who cares if they think we're fighting!'"

"This is a lesson about stroke warnings," Terry emphasizes, adding that the outlet was thrilled to help tell what actually happened. "This is a lesson that young people having strokes is more common than you think. The number one cause of death from cardiovascular disease is stroke. If we can tell people about the B.E. F.A.S.T. warning signs (Balance, eyes, facial drooping, arm strength, speech time) — call 911."

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"How many people will hear this, who will see their relative, their young friend at a club, and they'll take action," he says. "How many thousands, arguably millions, people who remember this will be saved?"

Dr. Mitchell S. V. Elkind, the American Heart Association's Chief Clinical Science Officer – who did not treat Terry — emphasizes that listening to your body if something feels off to avoid a stroke is vital.

"It is crucial to pay attention to your body, or to the signs of those around you, because we now have terrific treatments for stroke—but they only work if someone comes in to the emergency room quickly enough to benefit from them," he explains. "We can use clot busting drugs or devices to pull blood clots from the brain—but they only work for several hours after the stroke starts before the brain injury becomes permanent. Neurologists often say 'time is brain,' meaning that there is a limited amount of time to act before the brain is damaged."