A chronic illness is a long-term medical condition that requires treatment and management over
a period of time, sometimes even your entire life.
We all know someone who is battling an illness, whether big or small, and while it is up to
a person in the public eye whether to disclose their health or not, it is certainly harder
to hide depending on the condition.
However, some celebrities choose to raise awareness and lessen the stigma surrounding
a certain illness, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about today.
This is the Top 10 Celebrities With Chronic Illnesses.
Let’s jump in.
10 Charlie Sheen - HIV Also known as the human immunodeficiency viruses,
this disease infects vital cells in the human immune systems, such as helper T cells.
HIVE is a sexually transmitted infection, but can also be spread by contact with infected
blood or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breast-feeding.
Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point
that you have AIDS.
Charlie Sheen went public with his diagnosis back in 2015, stating, “I have a responsibility
now to better myself and to help a lot of other people and hopefully with what we’re
doing today others will come forward and say, '' Thanks, Charlie,””.
Most people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within a month or two with symptoms
such as Fever, Headache, Muscle ache and joint pain, Rash, sore throat, mouth sore, swollen
lymph glands, mainly on the neck.
If both HIV and AIDS remains untreated it can lead to further illnesses, even cancer,
or death.
9 Daisy Ridley - Endometriosis Star Wars star Daisy Ridley has very publicly
shared her struggle with endometriosis, which, for those who don’t know, is a condition
in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the
inside of the uterus, grow outside of it, and in rare cases it may occur in other parts
of the body.
The main symptoms are pelvic pain and infertility, with nearly half affected having chronic pain,
pain during menstruation and pain during sex.
Daisy took to Instagram to share her story, stating, “8 years after being diagnosed,
pain was back, more mild this time, and my skin was the worst.
I’ve tried everything: products, antibiotics, more products, more antibiotics, and all that
did was left my body in a bit of a mess.
Finally found out I have polycystic ovaries and that’s why it’s bad.
I can safely say feeling so self conscious has left my confidence in tatters.
I hate wearing makeup but I currently don’t want to leave the house without it on.
However progress is being made.
My point is, to any of you who are suffering with anything, go to a doctor; pay for a specialist;
get your hormones tested,g et allergy testing; keep on top of how your body is feeling and
don’t worry about sounding like a hypochondriac.
From your head to the tips of your toes we only have one body.
Let us all make sure ours are working in tip top condition, and take help if it’s needed.”
I couldn’t agree more!
8 Kim Kardashian - West - Psoriasis Awareness about Psoriasis definitely went
up when it was revealed that the most photographed woman on the planet had it.
Psoriasis is a common skin condition that speeds up the life cycle of skin cells, causing
cells to build up rapidly on the surface of the skin, which results in red patches that
are itchy and often times painful.
In an old episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kim initially freaked out over the skin condition,
however, she has since taken on a more serene approach, even stating that she isn’t trying
to cover it up anymore.
I quote, “I’m always hoping for a cure, of course, but in the meantime, I’m learning
to just accept it as part of who I am.”
7 Pete Davidson - Crohn’s Disease The SNL cast member first opened up about
his battle with Crohn’s disease back in 2016.
For those who don’t know, Crohn’s Disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes
inflammation of your digestive tract, which leads to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea,
fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
The comedian stated, I quote, “I got Crohn’s disease when I was 17 or 18 and I found that
the medicines that the doctors were prescribing me and seeing all these doctors and trying
new things...weed would be the only thing that would help me eat.
My stomach would be in pain all day and I wouldn’t be able to eat, but then I’d
smoke and I can eat and do my shows.
I wouldn’t be able to do SNL if I didn’t smoke weed.
I wouldn’t be able to do anything really.
Me performing not high has gone awful.
It’s awful for me because I don’t feel well.”
I was honestly shocked to discover this was the reason he smoked weed, the comedian has
even stated in the past that he feels offended by those who don’t understand the need for
medical marijuana and who think you can’t be productive while smoking.
6 Lady Gaga - Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by
widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
It is also known to amplify painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes
pain signals.
Symptoms often begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological
stress.
According to the NHS, it tends to affect women seven times more than men, and on top of that,
there is no cure, however symptoms can be relieved through medications, therapy and
lifestyle changes.
Gaga has opened up numerous times in the past about her experience with the illness, specifically
after the singer was forced to cancel a concert in Brazil because she was taken to hospital
with “severe pain”.
5 Nick Jonas - Type 1 Diabetes Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes
when he was just 13 years old which he described as “one of the most frightening moments
of my life.”
-- The Jonas Brother speaks frankly about it in the Amazon documentary about the brothers,
but he has also been very open about his condition from a young age.
For those who don’t know, Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not
produce any insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that helps your body control the level of glucose, aka sugar, in
your blood.
The singer discussed his diagnosis stating, “I was shocked at first, and my family was
just as panicked.
But the real scare was I had to quickly learn so much.
It was completely overwhelming.”
Since his diagnosis, Nick has been wearing the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor, which
sends him his blood sugar every five minutes.
4 Bella Hadid - Lyme Disease Lyme Disease, also known as Lyme Borreliosis,
is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Borrelia spread by ticks.
When it is not detected early it can cause long-lasting symptoms, such as pain in the
joints, problems affecting the nervous system, extreme fatigue and heart problems.
Bella stated that her disease once got so out of hand it left her battling to even move.
I quote, “I couldn’t get out of bed for six days.
My brain would get all foggy and I couldn’t see.
That was the hardest time of my life.”
The model also told Glamour in 2016, I quote, “I’m really tired a lot.
A few weeks ago I had a big campaign shoot that I had to reschedule.
It’s hard, but I push through, because at the end of the day, if you’re not working,
somebody else is.”
3 Michael J Fox - Parkinson’s The Back to the Future actor has always been
open about his Parkinson’s diagnosis which he received when he was 29 back in 1991, a
disease that is traditionally associated with older people.
Parkinson’s is where the brain becomes increasingly damaged and is characterised by shaking.
The actor stated, I quote, “I was diagnosed 25 years ago, and I was only supposed to work
for another 10 years.
I was supposed to be pretty much disabled by now.
I’m far from it.
THis is as bad as I get, and I can still go to the store and go marketing.”
Since the beginning, he's been on a crusade to help find a cure and ways to potentially
prevent more cases of the condition, with his Michael J Fox Foundation funding more
than $800 million in medical research to date.
2 Selena Gomez - Lupus Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that
occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs.
It can affect many different body systems -- including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood
cells, brain, heart and lungs.
Selena Gomez revealed back in 2015 that she had lupus, which affected her kidneys, resultings
in her undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017.
The singer states, I quote, “Maybe I wasn’t necessarily really good at knowing what that
meant so it actually got to a point where it was life-or-death.
Thankfully one of my best friends gave me her kidney and it was the ultimate gift of
life.
And I am doing quite well now.”
I think it’s safe to say we’re all happy she’s recovering and living her best life.
1 Selma Blair - Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis is a potentially disabling
disease of the brain and spinal cord.
Signs and symptoms of MS vary on the amount of nerve damage and which nerves are being
affected.
Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or at all.
Selma Blair first shared her diagnosis with MS on instagram in October 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKjP_7FnWQ/ The actress stated, I quote, “I was in this
wardrobe fitting two days ago.
And I am in the deepest gratitude.
So profound, it is, I have decided to share.
The brilliant costumer Allisa Swanson not only designs the pieces, but she carefully
gets my legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, buttons my costas and offers her
shoulder to steady myself.
I have MS.” Blair admitted she felt off for some years and chalked it up to a pinched
nerve.
As of 2019, she now walks with a cane and continues to be open about her chronic illness
on social media.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any celebrities that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
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