Derek Hough, Hayley Erbert dance on the stage where she faced health scare
"Dancing with the Stars" pros Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert returned on Friday to dance on the stage where their lives took a dramatic turn one year ago.
In a video he posted on Instagram, which shows him standing alongside Elbert and other performers with the Dance for the Holidays tour, Hough said, “It's a very, very special night to be back here on this stage, one year later, to change the story of this room, of this stage, to something beautiful.”
Erbert "became disoriented" last December during their Symphony of Dance tour in Washington, D.C.
She "was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy," according to an Instagram post that Hough shared at the time.
As part of their one-year commemoration last week, the couple invited to the stage the doctor who helped save Erbert's life, Jeffrey Mai. Hough shared this touching moment in a video on Instagram.
He introduced him to the audience by saying, “This was the man that was there at 3 in the morning that saved Haley's life.”
“I could not be more thankful for this man right here,” he continued. “He was there. He gave us comfort, he gave us assurance, he gave us hope and he gave us love. And I just could not be more thankful to have you here so much. I mean, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Dr. Mai, please.”
Erbert underwent an emergency craniectomy in early December 2023.
A craniectomy is a type of brain surgery typically performed in emergency situations to relieve pressure on the brain, according StatPearls, an online library published in the National Library of Medicine.
Erbert then underwent in December 2023.
A cranioplasty "is the surgical intervention to repair cranial defects in both cosmetic and functional ways," according to the National Library of Medicine. It is performed "mostly after traumatic injuries."
In the caption of Dec. 6 Instagram post, Hough shared how returning to the stage one year after Erbert’s health scare was a powerful reminder of faith and resilience.
“It’s been exactly one year since Hayley almost lost her life,” he wrote. “We returned to the very same stage, the same room where we once felt so much fear and uncertainty. A place where I stood frozen, terrified, praying for a miracle.”
He continued, “But tonight, we changed the story of that room. We transformed it, from fear to beauty, from uncertainty to faith, and from despair to triumph. And having Dr. Mai, the man who saved her life, standing on that stage with us made it all the more powerful. We got to share a moment on stage thanking him for the gift of more time, more memories, and more love.”
Hough also reflected on how this year has been a lesson in grace.
“How the more we acknowledge it, the more we experience it,” he wrote. “Beauty is all around us if we open our eyes to it, and faith can guide us even in the darkest moments.”
Hough also praised his wife for her “resilience, strength courage and pure elegance in how she has moved through this experience,” adding that he is “in awe everyday.”
“To the team at MedStar Washington Hospital for their care, and to all of you who’ve supported us along the way,” he added. “One year later, standing on that same stage, we know this: life is fragile, love is everything, and we are stronger than ever.”
