Sandra Bullock Makes Public Appearance At 59 Amid PTSD Struggle, Career Break

The past couple of years have been tumultuous for Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock. The actress took a break from her acting career to focus on herself and her two adopted children while dealing with severe PTSD from an attack on her home.

In December 2021, Bullock gave a tell-all about the rocky periods of her life and career on Red Table Talk hosted by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris. She recounted the night her home was invaded in 2014 by a man named James, who committed suicide a few years later.

Sandra Bullock was not the same after the intrusion

Bullock recounted how she got into her home at 1 am, showered, and went to bed but was woken up shortly after by a loud noise. “I’m in the closet going, ‘This doesn’t end well.'” she recalled. The police arrived and found the intruder, who, thankfully, had yet to harm her. The intruder, James, had a backpack containing a notebook, a letter addressed to Bullock, cut-out magazine pictures of her, and a Utah concealed firearm permit.

RELATED: How Sandra Bullock Raises Her Children After Split From Ex-Husband Jesse James

The police found entries in the notebook, including references to Bullock and her son, Louis, who was not home at the time. “Had he been home, I would’ve run to the closet, which is now my official closet, but that was his bedroom, and it would have changed our destiny forever,” she added. The incident left Bullock with severe PTSD, which she has been keeping under control with therapy. “The violation of that. I wasn’t the same after that. I was unraveling,” the actress explained.

Bullock has dealt with health and child issues

Aside from her mental struggles, Bullock has been worried about her 11-year-old son, who suffers from grand mal seizures, also called a tonic-clonic seizure. While dealing with that, the actress was bitten by a poisonous spider, causing her hair to fall out. “My hair starts falling out. I have alopecia spots everywhere. I’m by the tub, laying out hair, counting ‘one, two …’ I literally had to take inventory: If I don’t pull it together, I’m going to die,” she said.

Last year, Bullock announced she would be taking a step back from acting to take care of her adopted children. “I have beautiful babies. I’d rather look at them every day and have them be mad at me, and annoyed and make memories with them for right now,” she explained. The mother of two adopted Louis in 2010, followed by his sister Laila in 2015.

Bullock turned 59 in July

Bullock’s celebrity friends and fans wished her a happy birthday on social media as she recently turned 59. Her longtime friend, and Friends star, Jennifer Aniston, posted an Instagram story wishing Bullock a “Happy Birthday Sand-a-La!!” Octavia Spencer also shared a photo of her and Bullock alongside a short, sweet note. “There are some people you meet whose impact goes far beyond their work: their aura, their kindness, their joy. Sandra Bullock is one of those people,” Spencer wrote.

Other stars like Ryan Reynolds also paid tribute to her on social media. After her birthday, Bullock was spotted out in Los Angeles, wearing a yellow dress with her hair tied in a loose bun. The actress had sunglasses on and held a vase containing flowers as she strutted. Fans took to social media to praise Bullock’s beauty, calling her “gorgeous” and “so fine”, amongst other compliments. “She doesn’t look 59!!” a Twitter user gushed.