Celebs Who Publicly Battled Health Problems
As part of the tradeoff for riches and fame, celebrities generally have many aspects of their life available for public consumption. The one area that usually remains off limits is their personal health.
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However, through the advent of social media, viewers have learned of a number of celebs who publicly dealt with health problems. Singer Avril Lavigne has been the most recent celebrity to do so, after revealing some undisclosed “health problems” to a fan via series of direct Twitter messages. Take a look at other famous entertainers who have opened up their private medical lives to fans.
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Photo: WENN
photo: WENN
Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991. After a bout of what he called “heavy drinking,” Fox underwent therapy, launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s and became an advocate for curing the disease.
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Through Twitter missives Stuart Scott updates followers on his ongoing battle with cancer of the appendix, which he was diagnosed with in 2007.
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Earlier this fall, U2 frontman Bono revealed the reason for his ever-present sunglasses. Bono has been suffering from glaucoma for the better part of 20 years, and the shades help with his sensitivity to light.
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A chronic kidney disease left actor and comedian George Lopez on the verge of kidney failure before his wife gave him the gift of life with a kidney transplant in 2005.
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Earvin “Magic” Johnson shook up the world on November 7, 1991 when he announced he was carrying the HIV virus that could lead to AIDS and would have to retire immediately. Johnson made the announcement at a press conference.
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While battling ovarian cancer, Diem Brown continued to compete in MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenge. In 2014, before ultimately succumbing to a losing battle with stomach and colon cancer Brown reached via Twitter asking for prayers and advice from her fans.
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In 2007, ABC anchor Robin Roberts penned an open letter to readers detailing her battle with breast cancer. She would go on to beat the cancer, but later found herself writing yet another open letter announcing that she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome.
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On May 14, 2014, actress and director Angelina Jolie wrote a letter in the New York Times entitled “My Medical Choice,” where she explained the choice to undergo a double mastectomy as a preventative measure to avoid breast cancer. Jolie learned she carried the gene BRCA1, which sharply increased her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
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After suffering multiple seizures in 2013, Lil Wayne revealed to Power 106’s Felli Fel that he suffers from epilepsy. Prior to publicly confirming the seizures, Wayne took to Twitter to let his followers know he was fine and to thank them for their support and concern.
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Social media was the preferred platform for actor Frankie Muniz when he suffered a mini stroke in November of 2013. Muniz tweeted “Almost a year to the day, I experienced another mini stroke. Hopefully that will be the last. Miserable.”
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Nene Leakes revealed she was blessed to be alive in a tweet to her fans and followers after suffering from blood clots in her lung in November of 2013.
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Multiple treatments for basal cell carcinoma have made actor Hugh Jackman a sunscreen and skin care advocate. Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common forms of skin cancer, and after his own diagnosis, Jackman regularly posts pictures of his bandaged face as a warning to followers.
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After being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt scheduled a 2011 sit down with Sally Jenkins of USA Today to publicly disclose how she was dealing with the disease.
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One individual fan got an explanation about Avril Lavigne’s disappearance from the spotlight via a series of direct Twitter messages from the Candian rocker. Lavigne revealed that she was suffering from some undisclosed health issues but not much else citing her habit of being “quite private.”
