Stars, they’re just like us!
Yes, even us, fellow spoonies!
One of the biggest issues you deal with when you have a chronic illness is the feeling of being alone. In a lot of people’s cases, when they are first diagnosed they don’t know anyone else who has the illness they have, or, in my case, have never even heard of the illness they have (shoutout to Sjogren’s Syndrome!). I would 100% percent recommend looking for a local support group for people with your illness, or even finding an online community (like I have on Instagram) of people who are in the same boat as you.
Today I want to share with you 6 young, female celebrities who have chronic illnesses because:
- I am a young female, and I find a lot of comfort in finding others like myself who have similar issues
- While autoimmune diseases affect 8% of the population, 78% of that is women (source)
- Women’s pain is often not taken seriously by doctors. There are great articles about this from The Atlantic & The New York Times, and a great video from Buzzfeed
1. Selena Gomez
I’m starting with Selena because she has just recently made headlines for having a kidney transplant. This was necessary due to issues associated with her lupus – an autoimmune disease that can affect different organs in the body, and in this case it caused inflammation in her kidneys, called lupus nephritis. When this happens, the kidneys cannot filter blood properly.
Gomez first opened up about her diagnosis of lupus in 2015, after she had taken time off from her music to undergo chemotherapy. Because autoimmune diseases cause your immune system to become overactive, chemotherapy can help suppress the immune system in severe cases. She took more time off the next year for mental health, after realizing that “anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”
I applaud Selena SO MUCH for being so open about her physical and mental issues every step of the way, and for taking time off when she felt she needed it (without feeling the need to defend herself, but rather explain why later in order to educate the public about her condition). Her openness will definitely help young women with lupus feel less alone, as well as help lessen the stigma surrounding chronic illness.
Finally, read this awesome story about the first stranger she told about her diagnosis:
“There was this kid that wouldn’t look me in the eye at all. And I wear my emotions on my face, as you just have witnessed. And I don’t care, that’s who I am. I wanted to get his attention, even though maybe it was too much. So I just said, ‘Ask me anything you want.’ And he was the first person that I told, besides my best friend and family, because he asked me, ‘Have you ever dealt with anything like this?’
And I said, ‘I have lupus. I was in the ICU for two and a half weeks. I was in this exact same room.’ And it was the first time that he looked at me.”
2. Lady Gaga
I went with Lady Gaga next because she’s also been in the news lately. She just recently announced on Twitter that she has fibromyalgia – a syndrome that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain. It is not a well understood disease and there is no test for it; rather it is diagnosed in people who have a certain constellation of symptoms that have no other cause (for example, they would first test for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis).
She has chronicled some of her issues with chronic pain on her Instagram, but her new documentary “5 foot 2” reportedly gives us a closer look into her life with fibromyalgia (as well as her life general) – I can’t wait to watch! Like Selena, Gaga has had to cancel shows and take time off due to her pain. Even more difficult though, is how they affect her everyday life. She says:
“I’m a fighter. I use the word ‘suffer’ not only because trauma and chronic pain have changed my life, but because they are keeping me from living a normal life. They are also keeping me from what I love the most in the world: performing for my fans. I am looking forward to touring again soon, but I have to be with my doctors right now so I can be strong and perform for you all for the next 60 years or more.”
3. Venus Williams
Venus is one half of the superstar tennis playing pair that is the Williams sisters. Venus is one year older than her sister, Serena, and both have been playing tennis since they were quite young. They have broken records, won Olympic medals, and dominated in their sport both individually (playing as singles) and together (playing as doubles).
Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome – an autoimmune disease that attacks the moisture-producing glands in the body and can cause joint pain and fatigue. She first announced her diagnosis in 2011, when it caused her to withdraw from the U.S. Open that year. I have a special spot in my heart for Venus, as she has the same autoimmune disease as me! And I love her motto:
“My motto now is that is all adds up, so if I can only do a little bit this day, it will add up, and it’s better than if I get discouraged and don’t do anything.”
4. Gina Rodriguez
Gina is best known for her roles in the CW’s Jane The Virgin and the major motion picture Deepwater Horizon. She is also an avid social activist, boxer, and overall ray of sunshine – and she has Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that causes an underactive thyroid. Common symptoms include slow metabolism, weight gain, fatigue, depression, sensitivity to cold, etc.
Gina has spoken out about dealing with this disease, especially the fact that it makes it more difficult to keep weight off. She uses diet (like eating gluten-free) and exercise (like boxing) to stay healthy. She has repeatedly challenged societal beauty standards, both with body image and weight and beyond – she got a massive haircut for a movie role (about half of her hair was shaved off) and got a lot of flack for it. Her response:
“I am not my beauty. Who I am is not my f—cking hair, and to be an actor is to transform. To represent a community is to commit, to give my entire all.”
5. Sarah Hyland
Best known for her role on the hit sitcom Modern Family, Sarah has dealt with kidney disease since childhood. She has kidney dysplasia, which has led to pain, fatigue, and a kidney transplant in 2012. It has also caused her weight to fluctuate, from super skinny (despite eating as much protein as possible), to very bloated (from medication like prednisone).
She’s dealt with a lot of online bullying in regards to her body (whether people think she’s too skinny or too fat) and has spoken out about her struggles with not being in control of her body. As a person who loves to workout and be strong, it was extremely difficult for her to be sickly skinny and have people telling her to “eat a burger” or that she looks disgusting. In one Twitter rant she encouraged self-love, saying:
“Love the you you set out to be. Be the best version of yourself. Be healthy. I’m a 26 year old woman who goes through more than you could even imagine on a daily basis. But I work hard. I love hard. And I got to where I am because I am STRONG and didn’t give up.”
6. Lena Dunham
Lena is an actor, author, and fierce feminist. She also has endometriosis – a disorder in which the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. It can be cause pain, including extremely painful, heavy periods, can affect fertility, and cause pain during sex. It has caused Lena to skip press for her show Girls, and she has had many surgeries because of it.
She reminds women suffering from chronic illness that:
“We aren’t weak — quite the opposite, actually. We do our jobs with skill even when we’re struggling. We care for families even when we can hardly care for ourselves. We serve major face on a red carpet when we feel like lying face down would be more appropriate.”
So, to all my ladies out there with chronic illnesses (whom I sometimes refer to as my spoonie sisters), YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I hope you found some comfort in reading about these badass ladies who have chronic illnesses, and gained some inspiration from their words.
