People: Betsey Johnson Once Thought She Would 'Never Get Back to the Real Me'

People magazine recently interviewed Cedars-Sinai patient and beloved fashion designer Betsey Johnson about her recent open-heart surgery and the “beautiful people at Cedars-Sinai” who took care of her. 

Just three weeks after undergoing open-heart surgery at the Smidt Heart Institute, Johnson, 76, attended the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai Gala in Beverly Hills.

As People Magazine recounted, a beaming Johnson did her trademark splits on the red carpet, then posed with the poster she made with an assist from her granddaughter. The message: “Thanks to all of the beautiful people at Cedars-Sinai who took care of my heart. With Love, XOX Betsey.”

Although in good spirits, Johnson admitted that her recovery has been a challenge, but one she is eager to surmount. 

“A couple of days ago I felt, ‘I will never feel right. I will never get back to the real me. I will never look that good again, I will never have that energy again. It’s gone, I am 76, it is over,’ ” Johnson told People. 

But hope, and Johnson's indomitable spirit, was always on the horizon for the fashion firebrand.

“Every day I feel better and better and better, and I am getting closer to realizing that I can be that person again, that I don’t need to throw in the towel,” she said. “There were times where you just felt like you had to throw in the towel because you felt like you just could never make it back to that you were before, but I am getting there.”

Click here to read the complete article from People.  

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: A Fresh Start After Open-Heart Surgery