Toni Braxton reveals she underwent surgery last year after lupus complication

Toni Braxton is opening up about a life-altering procedure she underwent last year.

The "Un-Break My Heart" singer, 55, who was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, in 2008, told People in an interview that she felt an ache in her chest in September 2022.

"It was a traumatic moment for me. I was in shock," Braxton said. "I remember that day because my chest was aching often, just hurting. And I thought I was just sad because unfortunately my sister [Traci Braxton] had just passed and I thought, 'Wow, I'm really aching in my heart for my sister.'"

"And come to find out, of course I was sad about my sister," she went on. "But I also had underlying health issues. It was my body talking to me, telling me something's not quite right."

Braxton said she saw her doctors, who told her after getting tested that she needed a coronary stent due to one of her main coronary arteries being 80% blocked. She said she had put off some of those routine urine and blood tests prior to experiencing chest pains, thinking she would be "fine."

"The doctors told me I could've had a massive heart attack, I would not have survived," the Grammy-winning artist said.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus can affect any part of the body, including the skin, digestive system, muscles, tendons, nervous system and the heart.

The LFA says that lupus increases the risk for heart disease, including coronary heart disease (CHD), which happens when fatty material builds up in the arteries and decreases blood flow to the heart.

Braxton said she was hospitalized for a few days after her emergency surgery, which involved getting a stent, or a tube, inserted in her heart to keep the passageway open.

The singer said she wouldn't put off tests in the future.

"It was a really scary moment," Braxton said. "Had I not gotten that test, my life would've been different."

"I look at it like it was a blessing in disguise for me because now, putting off tests? Oh no, I will not put off tests," she said. "If all I have to do for my lupus and my kidney health is pee in a cup, I can pee in a cup."

With Lupus Awareness Month in May approaching, Braxton is putting a spotlight on the disease and urging her followers on Instagram who are living with lupus and lupus nephritis to get tested.

"I know we get tired of going to the doctor's and getting tests done... but it's worth it, because it can help prevent further kidney damage," Braxton wrote in an Instagram post. "I'd like everyone to #GetUncomfortable with me and do things for their kidney health that may not be fun, but are important."

Fans of Braxton learned about her battle with lupus in 2011, when she revealed the nature of the disease to her family on their hit reality television show, "Braxton Family Values."

In 2016, she was hospitalized in Los Angeles following complications from the disease.