“It’s what helped me heal,” she shared. “It’s what helped me stay positive throughout the entire experience.”

In fact, Hayley even joked about the “new” sac of cerebral spinal fluid on her face, which she said is “supposed to eventually go away.”

“Right now, it’s still there,” she said with a laugh, poking at a bulge on the side of her face. “I also got a new skull, but also a new outlook on life.”

Noting that “life is so precious,” Hayley urged fans to “spend time with the ones you love, hold them close ’cause you never know what could happen.”

She added, “I’m just grateful to be alive and to be here to tell my story.”

And for Derek, this experience opened his eyes to a new side of Hayley.

“It’s been wild going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows,” the Dancing With the Stars judge shared in the video. “But I have to say, throughout this experience this woman has been unbelievable and her perseverance and her acceptance of the whole situation, her strength, it’s been remarkable to witness firsthand. She really is a miracle and it’s been miraculous and it’s still a journey.”

Thanking their supporters during this difficult chapter, Derek added, “I’m just so thankful for everybody and this woman for being unbelievable and impressing me each day.”

For more of Derek and Hayley’s love story, keep reading.