Having a chronic illness like fibromyalgia or diabetes is no fun. You have to manage your medications, work around flare-ups, and make sure you have a support network. Being a wealthy celebrity makes doing this a million times easier, of course. What we wouldn’t give to have these resources to treat our illnesses.
This short video provides a list of 7 celebrities who have a chronic illness.
1. Lady Gaga: Fibromyalgia
We’ve covered Lady Gaga’s Fibromyalgia pretty extensively over the last year. She is, by an order of magnitude, the most famous person with fibromyalgia. Ever since she had to cancel a show in Rio after being hospitalized for her fibro, she’s put awarness of the disease front and center.
In our documentary the #chronicillness #chronicpain I deal w/ is #Fibromyalgia I wish to help raise awareness & connect people who have it.
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) September 12, 2017
2. Selena Gomez: Lupus
The singer/actor was diagnosed with lupus in 2015, but as she told Savannah Guthrie this past fall, it wasn’t until her she became so sick that she nearly died that she started taking it seriously. She underwent a kidney transplant in September. The kidney was donated by Secret Life of the American Teenager star Francia Raisa.
3. Lena Dunham: Endometriosis
The Girls star had to be rushed to the hospital from the Met Gala in April due to complications from endometriosis. She underwent her fifth total surgery, and says that between that and hormone therapy she is endometriosis-free, for now. As a chronic condition it can always come back, of course.
4. Bella Hadid: Lyme Disease
3 members of the Hadid family – Mom and Real Housewivers of Beverly Hills star Yolanda, model Anwar, and model Bella Hadid – have chronic Lyme Disease. The tick-borne disease can be treated with antibiotics if caught early, but once it becomes chronic the symptoms include fatigue, neck pain, trouble sleeping, and muscle aches. Bella Hadid undergoes daily IV treatments for her Lyme Disease.
5. Amy Brenneman: Ulcerative Colitis
The star of Judging Amy has dealt with ulcerative colitis for years and is a spokeswoman for the Chron’s & Colitis Foundation.
6. Zoe Saldana: Hashimoto’s Disease
The Guardians of the Galaxy star disclosed she has Hashimoto’s Disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid in 2016. Symptoms of Hashimoto’s include:
- Hot flashes, sweating
- Trembling
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Nervousness, hyperactivity
- Emotional instability and irritability or fatigue
- Insomnia and restlessness
- Potency problems
- Racing heart
7. Jesse J: Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome
I’ll be completely honest, I had to look up both Jesse J. (she’s a pop star from the UK) and Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome (it’s when an extra electrical pathway between your heart’s upper and lower chambers causes a rapid heartbeat). People with this condition are born with it and it is pretty rare. The singer inherited the condition from her dad and underwent multiple surgeries, and now manages her condition with exercise.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSvpxBVjHht/
So have left any celebrities or chronic illnesses off of our list? Let us know in the comments.
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