Tatum O'Neal looked vibrant as she stepped out with her daughter, Emily McEnroe, in an ultra-rare public appearance on Saturday. The 62-year-old, who was also joined by her son-in-law, Tim Massarelli, opted to wear a long black dress that fell to her ankles, under a navy blazer.
She paired the look with white stockings, black loafers and a gold pendant necklace, and kept her grayish-blonde hair back in a bun.
© GC ImagesTatum walked with a cane during the outing in Los Angeles, highlighting the myriad of health issues she has faced in recent years after suffering a severe stroke in 2020.
Just days prior to her LA appearance, she shared a stunning selfie with her sea of social media fans, simply captioning the photo, "Hope", prompting a wave of support and love.
Tatum O'Neal's health battle revealed
© InstagramTatum overdosed on a combination of pain medication, opiates and morphine during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a severe stroke that left her in a six-week coma. "It was the phone call we'd always been waiting for," her eldest son, Kevin, told People. "She also had a cardiac arrest and a number of seizures. There were times we didn't think she was going to survive."
"She had become very isolated," he explained. "With the addition of morphine and heavier pharmaceuticals, it was getting scary. COVID, chronic pain, all these things led to a place of isolation. In that place, I don't think, for her, there was much hope."
When Tatum finally emerged from her coma, she still had a long way to go in her recovery, and had to regain her memory and her ability to walk, read and write.
"At times, it was touch and go," Kevin recalled. "I had to call my brother and sister and say she was thought to be blind, deaf and potentially might never speak again."
Tatum O'Neal's journey towards hope
© Getty ImagesThe 40-year-old, whom Tatum shares with her ex-husband, tennis legend John McEnroe, shared that he saw hope in his mother's eyes in this new chapter of her life. "This last chapter where she wants to live, wants to get sober, wants to learn, I think it's a miracle. I think it's beautiful. I've never been more proud to be her son. She's full of love and full of heart," he said.
"She is learning to be with herself and find some love for herself. It's been hard, but it's been beautiful, and it's a miracle to behold…All I ask her every day is just to try."
© InstagramTatum added that she was trying "every day" and just wanted to be there for her kids. The actress, who is still the youngest person to ever win an Oscar when she nabbed the prize for Paper Moon in 1974 at 10 years old, has long dealt with addiction and substance abuse issues.
She married John in 1986 and welcomed kids Kevin, Sean and Emily with him before splitting in 1992 and finalizing their divorce two years later.
