Forget all the glitz and glamour, forget also the extravagant lifestyles, celebrities aren’t any different from the rest of us. They are humans and have the same blood contents flowing around their bodies, so they fall sick too. Well, money and fame may have played a good role but numerous celebrities are living with chronic diseases but you would never know. Many of them still hold their health issues private while other brave ones have chosen to open up to the public even though they themselves in the past held it private. Well, what’s amazing about most of the sick celebrities is that they all know just how to live above their health impediments and how to shine on like everything about life is all rosy by not letting their problem take the better part of their lives. As a matter of fact, these 17 celebrities listed below motivate people on how not to let your health condition weigh on you.
Celebrities That are Battling Serious Illnesses
Michael J. Fox
Disease or Illness: Parkinson’s disease
The Canadian-American actor, author, producer, and advocate, MJ Fox is a famous film star. He starred in a good number of iconic movies such as “Back to the Future.” The actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at only 30 years old in 1991. But, opened up about his health seven years later.
Michael Phelps
Disease or Illness: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Michael Phelps is among the best Olympic athlete of all time and has been bestowed with about 22 medals. He is a pacesetter and has undeniably broken almost every set record in the sport of swimming, and the Olympics in general. The Olympic superstar was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) when he was 9 years of age. He is among 10 million Americans currently living with the neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorder wherein the person experiences difficulty staying focused and paying attention, as well as difficulty controlling behaviour, and hyperactivity (over-activity). It is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. No doubt Phelps has risen high above the sickness to become one of the best athletes in the history of swimming and the Olympics.
Miley Cyrus
Disease or Illness: atrial fibrillation
The teen star best known for her role in the Disney Channel show: Hannah Montana is another celebrity battling it out with an illness. She is one of the about 2.7 million people in the United States suffering from atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm that creates rapid and irregular beating rate even when the person is absolutely at rest. It usually begins as brief periods of abnormal beating which become longer and possibly steady over time. Though the disease has no symptoms most times, every once in a while it comes with heart palpitations, fainting, shortness of breath, or chest pain. It can also increase the chance of heart failure, dementia, and stroke. The illness is widespread and according to what the brave celebrity told her fans, the disease isn’t deadly.
Montel Williams
Disease or Illness: Multiple sclerosis
The TV personality, Williams revealed that he has an illness known as multiple sclerosis in 1999. The ailment is a demyelinating disorder in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. He let it all out in 2009 at Oprah’s show saying that his primary symptom is pain. That he has got pain from his shins to his feet, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it’s been there for the last 10 years. So heartbreaking!
Jack Osborne
Disease or Illness: Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)
Jack announced in June 2012, that he had been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) discussed earlier have a type called relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). The times when they have attacks when their symptoms flare up which is called relapses and the time of recovery when there is no few or no symptoms after the attack, called remission. This period can last for weeks, months, or longer. And during these breaks, the disease doesn’t get worse.
Pamela Anderson
Disease or Illness: Hepatitis C
The Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, and activist is also a source of encouragement to every sick person around the world. She contracted Hepatitis C during her relationship with Tommy Lee. According to reports, Anderson and Tommy Lee are huge fans of ‘ink plastering’ and the two happened to share a needle when they were tattooing their skin. Lee had been diagnosed with the virus and she gave it to Anderson when the needle was shared through the blood to blood contact. Hepatitis C can be cured, therefore it is expected not to have such a big effect on Anderson’s long term health.
The actress and model, 48, took to Instagram to share her good news. “I am CURED!!! – I just found out #nomorehepc,” she wrote in the caption. “I pray anyone living with hep C can qualify or afford treatment. It will be more available soon. I know treatment is hard to get still…#dontlosehope.”
Kim Kardashian
Disease or Illness: Psoriasis
Kim has huge fans and social media followers with her constant stunning look that inspires nearly all the ladies around the world. Yes, she is beautiful, rich and has a perfect body and skin right? Well, shockingly enough Kim Kardashian is suffering from a skin condition known as psoriasis, a long-lasting autoimmune disease that causes patches of abnormal skin. These skin patches are normally red, itchy, and scaly and they differ in acuteness from small and localized to entire body coverage. Also, the disease may appear to just affect the skin, but it can do severe damage to organs as well. The super cute celebrity aired about her illness on her show, and doctor’s admitted that she had it in 2011.
Prince (7 June 1958 – 21 April 2016)
Disease or Illness: Epilepsy
The iconic singer suffered from seizures on a regular basis since he was a child. Fortunately for him, the seizures became less due to advancement in treatment for the disease. He opened up about his epilepsy in an interview on PBS in 2009 and appreciates the fact that he no longer has seizures. Prince will always have epilepsy, but it is not likely that he will ever bring it on stage. In April 2016, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota
Morgan Freeman
Disease or Illness: Fibromyalgia
Morgan Freeman is an American actor and narrator. He has received a good number of awards for his works. The 77 years old actor and narrator opened up about his Fibromyalgia in 2013. The disease described as a rheumatic condition that causes muscular or musculoskeletal pain with stiffness and localized tenderness at particular parts of the body has caused pain in Freeman’s arm. Due to the severe pain, Freeman no longer find flying aeroplanes or cruising around on his sailboat fun.
Toni Braxton
Disease or Illness: Lupus
Toni Braxton was diagnosed with Lupus and APS (the same disease that claimed her uncle’s life) when she was only 15. Lupus is a rampant and chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that, for unnamed reasons, makes the immune system to start killing or fighting the body’s own tissue and organs rather than only foreign bodies. Currently, there is no cure for lupus. As if Lupus wasn’t severe enough, Toni also has Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and APS is an autoimmune disease that causes excessive clotting of blood in the arteries and veins. Normally, blood clotting occurs naturally as the body’s response to cuts, scrapes and small breaks in blood vessels. In APS, a tendency for excessive clotting can narrow or even block blood flow and can have a detrimental effect on internal organs. Luckily enough, Toni is still staying strong and healthy till date.
Nick Cannon
Disease or Illness: Lupus
Nick Cannon once revealed that he is suffering from a form of lupus. This condition affects his kidneys. He opened up that the diagnosis was done at the time he had kidney failure. In case you missed it, Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which antibodies are killing the body’s own cells. The disease basically impacts the skin, joints, lungs, kidneys and other organs.
Cher
Disease or Illness: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Cher suffers from a disease called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. This disease causes severe pain to the body and also causes insomnia. Quality rest can’t even help remedy chronic fatigue syndrome, and for that reason, the disorder poses a daily challenge to those who suffer it. But Cher is standing tall high above the disease and in fact, has been able to fight through this daily battle this sickness presents with her busy schedule.
Alec Baldwin
Disease or Illness: Chronic Lyme disease
Alec Baldwin is an American actor, producer, and comedian. He first gained recognition for his role as Joshua Rush in seasons 6 and 7 of the CBS television drama Knots Landing. He suffers from chronic Lyme disease, a bacterial illness that is spread by tick bites. The illness can affect the skin, joints, heart, as well as nervous system.
Tom Hanks
Disease or Illness: Type 2 diabetes
Hanks disclosed on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2013 that he had been in a pre-diabetic stage since he was 36 years old. His pre-diabetes was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes the same year: a life-long metabolic disease that affects how the body handles glucose, a type of sugar, in the blood. Based on reports, about 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 8 million others are not even aware they have it.
Lil Wayne
Disease or Illness: Epilepsy
Lil Wayne just like Prince is an easy target for seizures and has been diagnosed with epilepsy. The rapper has been hospitalized for a week after he had seizures three times in a row. The seizures often come unexpectedly without any prior warning. According to Wayne, he never feels sick or any pain prior to his seizures; he just wakes up in a hospital looking lost and wondering how the hell he got there.
Halle Berry
Disease or Illness: Diabetes
Halle Berry is another diabetic celebrity. She has been suffering from diabetes since 1989 when she was only 22 years old. the Oscar-winning actress confirmed that she dumped insulin and her type changed from Type 1 to Type 2. But doctors didn’t buy the idea and believe there was a mistake in the formal diagnosis saying that she has been under Type 2 all along. Presently at age 45, the star is managing her diabetes through regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Jon Hamm
Disease or Illness: Vitiligo
Jon Hamm is an American actor, director, and television producer famous for playing advertising executive Don Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men (2007–2015). The 44-year-old big actor has a rare and chronic skin condition called Vitiligo thought to be affecting below one percent of the world’s population. The disease causes some portions of the skin to lose their pigment. This usually occurs when skin pigment cells die or are unable to function making the affected parts of the skin look much different from the rest. There is no satisfactory known cause of Vitiligo, except for cases of contact with certain chemicals and other causes suggested by research including autoimmune, genetic, oxidative stress, neural, or viral causes. Also, the disease has no verified cure but it is not a deadly illness. The interesting thing about the way Hamm handles his illness is the fact that he has been able to hide his Vitiligo throughout his career.
