After three surgeries, Emilia Clarke lost parts of her brain.
"It's remarkable that I can speak at all and live my life normally," the British actress told the BBC.
As Clarke wrote in the New Yorker magazine three years ago, she collapsed while playing sports after the first season of the series "Game of Thrones" in early 2011.
At that time, the doctors discovered an aneurysm that had to be operated on immediately.
A second aneurysm was discovered even before discharge from the hospital.
"The pain was excruciating.
'Game of Thrones' lifted me up at the time and gave my life meaning," recalled the 35-year-old.
The second operation, in 2013, required parts of Clarke's skull to be removed.
"I'm really in a very, very, very small group to survive a procedure like this," said the London native.
Since the third operation, Clarke has been supporting the "SameYou" foundation, which helps patients with brain injuries.
The actress can now also deal with her own fears.
"There's no point worrying about what's no longer there," Clarke said.