Hayley Erbert Reflects on Life Coming to 'a Screeching Halt' and Her Triumphant Return to the Stage as Dance Tour Ends

Hayley Erbert required an emergency craniectomy in December 2023 and returned to tour with husband Derek Hough only four months later

Hayley Erbert Hough is back where she belongs — the mainstage.

Five months after being hospitalized for a cranial hematoma and requiring an emergency craniectomy, Hayley, 29, wrapped up the Symphony of Dance tour with her husband Derek Hough in San Diego, California, on May 19.

In an Instagram post four days later, the dancer showcased the highlights of her return to the stage and penned a tribute to “one of the most fulfilling experiences” in her life.

“The Symphony of Dance tour has only been over for a few days and I still haven’t quite found the words to express my emotions,” Hayley wrote. “When we kicked it off in September, I was on cloud nine; getting to travel and perform with my newlywed husband, doing the most challenging show I have ever done in my entire life.”

She continued, “Then December 6th rolled around, and everything came to a screeching halt.”

Despite her “uncertainty” about resuming tour only months after her health scare, she proclaimed, “I DID IT!”

Related: Hayley Erbert Returns to Red Carpet 4 Months After Craniectomy with Derek Hough

“This tour reignited many parts of me that have been dim for so long. So, for that, I cannot thank everyone who came out to support us on this wild journey enough. I am so grateful to still be here, with you all, doing what I love,” Hayley concluded. “Thank you, thank you, thank you 🫶.”

On Dec. 7, 2024, Derek, 35, revealed on Instagram that Hayley had been rushed to the hospital after experiencing symptoms of a cranial hematoma — when blood collects in the skull — while on tour. A week later, he posted another update saying that Hayley needed a skull implant to “replace the piece [of the skull] that was removed during the craniectomy.”

In an emotional video on Instagram following the craniectomy, the couple, who married in 2023, discussed Hayley's “miraculous” recovery and thanked everyone who sent words of support amid her recuperation.

“Thank you all so much for all of your messages, your love, your energy, your light, your prayers. Thank you guys for all of it because it means so much to me and to us as a family. And genuinely, I believe it’s what’s gotten me through this a little bit faster and it’s what helped me heal,” Hayley said in tears.

Related: Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert Return to Dance Studio 3 Months After Her Craniectomy: ‘Beginning to Paint Again’

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In April, the pair announced that the Symphony of Dance tour would pick back up in Melbourne, Florida, with Hayley rejoining the tour only four months after the surgery. According to Derek, they had “extensive conversations and tests and results from different doctors” to clear Hayley to perform.

"I am just so excited to get back out and dance again after having something so traumatic happen," Hayley told PEOPLE at the time.

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