Photo shows Melle Stewart proudly pointing at her ‘I’ve been vaccinated for Covid’ badge. Two weeks later she had a stroke, nearly died and had to have part of her BRAIN removed. This is her surprising message

An actress who suffered a terrifying health ordeal after a Covid jab is still a strong advocate of vaccination.

Melle Stewart, 42, proudly showed off a badge confirming she had been vaccinated against Covid after receiving an AstraZeneca poke back in 2021.

Two weeks after Ms Stewart had the jab, she woke up with a strange feeling on the right side of her body.

When she tried to get out of bed, she collapsed and was rushed to hospital, where her condition quickly deteriorated as she lost all movement on the right side of her body and her ability to speak.

The artist ended up in intensive care, where she was diagnosed with vaccine-induced thrombocytopenic thrombosis, a rare side effect linked to the AstraZeneca jab.

She spent three weeks in an induced coma after suffering a severe stroke caused by two large clots in the main arteries of her brain and had to have part of her brain removed.

Ms Stewart’s husband, fellow actor Ben Lewis, said that although his wife almost died, she has urged everyone to get vaccinated if they have not already done so.

“Obviously if you’re going to win a lottery, you’d rather it was the other one,” he countered 9News.

“She really wants people to know that she still supports vaccination.”

Ms Stewart was working as a drama teacher in London due to the closure of theaters during the pandemic when she first fell ill in June 2021.

Mr Lewis recalled details of the terrifying night when he and his wife realized something was seriously wrong.

“We went to bed at ten o’clock that night and Melle woke up at midnight with a strange feeling,” he said.

Mr Lewis said he thought she had fallen asleep on her right arm, causing it to feel ‘dead’.

Mrs Stewart’s husband Ben Lewis (right) said although his wife almost died, she has urged everyone to get vaccinated if they haven’t already

But when Ms. Stewart tried to stand up, she realized she couldn’t put any weight on her right leg.

The scared couple rushed to their local hospital in an Uber.

Although initial tests were clear, Ms Stewart’s condition rapidly deteriorated and she lost her ability to speak and move her right side.

Due to the travel ban during the height of the pandemic, her family, including six siblings and her parents, were unable to travel from Australia to be by her side.

Ms Stewart’s condition has continued to improve and she is currently recovering in a hospital in London.

Mr Lewis said he was hopeful about his wife’s health of 12 years.

‘She attacks her therapies with 150 percent commitment. The NHS staff are just absolutely incredible,” he said.

Ms Stewart is still recovering in a London hospital from serious health problems

‘The signs are good for her walking. Her muscles are coming back in her right leg, which is amazing.”

Mr Lewis said he desperately hoped Ms Stewart could return to her beloved career in the arts.

Born in Queensland, Ms Stewart graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and made a guest appearance on the popular soap opera Home and Away in 2011.

She is best known for her stage work in Australia and Britain, where she has lived for the past 10 years.

Australian medical body TGA said eight people have died in Australia from the blood clotting disease, resulting from more than 12 million doses.

“In Australia, the risk of dying from TTS after vaccination is approximately one in a million,” the TGA said.

a GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Ms Stewart’s ongoing treatment.