SI Swimsuit model Victoria Vesce says 'faith in God' helped her overcome ministroke: 'I would be nothing'

After surviving a brain tumor, Victoria Vesce was faced with another major health scare.

It was in late 2022 when the model, like many others, was in Miami for Art Basel. The 29-year-old was at a late-night event when she realized something was not right.

"I just didn’t feel good," Vesce recalled to Fox News Digital. "I remember telling my friends, and they were like, ‘Victoria, you need to call a doctor and get checked.’ But I was so busy being out and about. I was so caught up in the swirl of all the parties and everything that was going on."

"I was having so much fun during this weekend of art and parties," she shared. "But then I went in shock when my left side was starting to go completely numb. That’s when I thought, ‘I gotta go to the hospital now.’ It was a really scary situation. I hadn’t felt that since my brain tumor diagnosis. It was a wake-up call."

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In 2017, the former finalist for Sports Illustrated’s Swim Search was diagnosed with multiple paraganglioma, a brain-skull tumor and a carotid body tumor that required surgery and pinpoint radiation treatment. Following her recovery, Vesce was told she had a ministroke.

Doctors previously had to leave remnants of Vesce’s tumor alone because it wraps around her brain stem. Vesce said if touched, she could be "instantly paralyzed or have a stroke." She is fully deaf in her right ear and suffers from tinnitus.

"With my tumor, there are complications that I can experience with it," Vesce explained. "Thankfully, the ministroke was kind of on the low end. But it was a wake-up call like, ‘Hey, let’s stay in tune with your health and keep those stress levels low.’ When I had some numbness on the left side of my face, I didn’t realize what was going on. I was just so busy, on the go. But I’ve been more in tune with my health."

"There were periods where I kind of went back to my old ways before my tumor and just kind of dilly-dally along," admitted the former NBA dancer for the Charlotte Hornets. "Sometimes you just have to have another little wake-up call to be like, ‘Hey, at the end of the day, you’ve gotta put your health first. You’ve got to get all your checkups and talk to your doctors periodically.’ It doesn’t matter if you can do all the things you can do – having good health needs to always come first if you want to continue doing the things you love."

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Vesce said she had a close-knit circle of friends and family who were on hand during her recovery. She also relied on her faith in God, especially on days she felt blue.

"Sometimes I have to backtrack because I’ll lose that sight," she explained. "I’ll sit there and go, ‘Why me? How am I still going? Why am I still here?’ But honestly, it’s my faith in God that gives me hope. Without that, I would be nothing. And with it, I’m everything. My faith is what gets me through every day. It’s what got me through my whole journey. There have been some dark periods where I’ve just thought that maybe it’s better if I’m not here. My faith always brings me back. It brings me back to life. My faith is my hope, and my hope is my faith."

"There are days when I go through something that brings me down," Vesce continued. "But at the end of the day, as long as I have God and I have a heartbeat, and I’m still here, then I still have a purpose. And there are still so many things I want to accomplish. You’re going to hear a lot of nos. You’re going to get a lot of rejection. But that hasn’t stopped me. It used to affect me badly, but my faith is what pushes me forward. My faith is the fuel to my fire."

The star said that getting a diagnosis of a ministroke "made my heart drop." However, she was determined to come out of it stronger. There are new goals that need to be fulfilled, like traveling to 80 countries. Vesce wants to honor her late mother, whose passion was traveling.

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"I knew it’s something that can happen with my brain tumor," said Vesce about her ministroke. "I always knew in the back of my mind that there’s a possibility there could be complications and these things could happen. I just didn’t think it would happen now. It was not at the forefront of my mind. But thankfully, I just really rested. I took probably two weeks to just stay in a very low-stress environment. I feel like I was really in a high-stress situation when that happened, and I just wasn’t taking care of myself as I should have. I was doing way too much and not putting my health first."

Vesce said the left side of her face is still numb. Smiling can be a struggle. As part of her regimen to prioritize her health, she has been exercising more, cutting back on alcohol and getting adequate sleep daily. Vesce said she is taking a smarter approach to staying busy.

"I just got back from traveling abroad," she said. "I have taken rest periods, but I also had the opportunity to go to Egypt, Morocco and New York City for Fashion Week. I continue to exercise and get proper rest, which everybody needs. I’m always go-go-go, so it’s not always easy, but I feel everybody needs that rest period. I don’t push myself. And I’m on top of all my tests to make sure my vitals are good, and I can get back into the swing of things with ease… I’m going to get those stamps on my passport, but I want to also make sure I am at the top of my game health-wise."

One dream that Vesce has fulfilled is appearing in last year’s SI Swimsuit issue. She was chosen among thousands of submissions to be photographed by acclaimed SI photographer Yu Tsai.

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"It opened so many doors for me," she gushed. "But it also gave me the ability to share my story with so many people. It came during a dark time in my life when I just really needed that spark of joy again… It pushed me to do more things and have a vision for myself that’s larger than life. It inspired me that I could make my dreams a reality. I’m extremely grateful for what SI did for me."

"I was able to achieve something so wonderful during a horrible period in my life," she shared. "When I look at those photos today, it shows me that I am resilient. I am powerful. I can conquer my dreams even in the darkest hour… I went through so much, and I was able to break through and cross out something that’s been on my bucket list for so long. It doesn’t matter what situation you’re in or what’s going on in your life. You still can achieve those dreams as long as you keep trying. Those photos are so much more than just beautiful photos. They tell my story."

Since her appearance in SI, Vesce has crossed more things off her list. She launched a podcast titled "Valid By Victoria," she is immersing herself in travel blogging and is planning a book. Most recently, she launched a business called Victoria Vesce Agency, which helps influencers shine on social media.

Sometimes, Vesce is faced with the occasional troll online who mocks her photos. However, like with everything else, that has not stopped her.

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"When you share something so publicly, you’re bound to deal with haters," she chuckled. "We’re still in a society that thinks scars aren’t beautiful, or you need to have the so-called perfect body to be accepted. My scars are what make me unique. It shows how powerful I am from this tumor, something I continue to battle day after day. Sometimes the trolls get to me because I’m only human. But at the same time, it empowers me to be myself more because others might be feeling alone in their journeys. So I continue to show who I am and be my powerful self."