Examples of invisible illnesses include arthritis, diabetes, chronic migraines, and fibromyalgia among many others that can make it hard for a person to live their life.
In honor of Invisible Illness Awareness Week, here are 4 celebs that live with an invisible illness or disability:
1:Nick Jonas
At the age of 13, the “Jealous” singer discovered he has diabetes, meaning his body does not naturally produce enough insulin.
“For someone who had no bad medical history ever to suddenly have the shock of diabetes was a bit overwhelming in itself, and then I had to learn all about it, learn all these things in such a short period of time. All of it was crazy,” Jonas told Diabetes Health in 2007. ” I also wondered if I could continue making music…but I had the support of my friends and the band to be there with me. ”
Jonas has been an outspoken advocate for others with type-one diabetes, and would regularly preface the Jonas Brother’s song “A Little Bit Longer” with a story about his trouble adjusting to life with diabetes.
2:Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne recently opened up about her months-long struggle with Lyme Disease, which is caused by a tick bite.
“I was in Los Angeles, and it was literally the worst time of my life,” Lavigne said in an interview with Good Morning America. “I was seeing every specialist, and literally like the top doctors … It was so stupid. They would pull up their computer and be like, ’Chronic fatigue syndrome’ or ’Why don’t you try to get out of bed, Avril, and just go play the piano?’ or ’Are you depressed?’ ”
The “Girlfriend” singer’s experience is sadly typical of a patients search for the right diagnosis. “This is what they do to a lot of people that have Lyme disease,” Lavigne said. “They don’t have an answer for them, so they tell them … ’You’re crazy.’ “
3:Jessie J
Jessie J has a genetic condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes an irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath. At 18 she even had a minor stroke as a result of the disease.
“There would be times when I’d be acting normal and then I’d just collapse,” Jessie J wrote in the Daily Mail. “It was only then that people would realize I wasn’t well. I suppose I was good at covering it up and I know I’m very good at that now.”
Carrie Ann Inaba
Getty
The “Dancing With The Stars” judge revealed in 2013 that she lives with osteoarthritis in her neck and spinal stenosis, both of which cause intense neck pain and can be traced back to her dance career.
“It came as a complete shock when I was diagnosed with arthritis. I thought my pain had been caused by work and travel overload. People my age are not supposed to get arthritis, right?” Inaba told Yahoo! News. “Wrong! It is a common misconception that the disease strikes only our grandparents. In fact, arthritis affects 50 million adults, two-thirds of them under the age of 65, including 300,000 children. It is the nation’s leading cause of disability, and to date there is still no cure.”
4:Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne’s struggle with epilepsy has been well-documented over the years. In March of 2013 the Young Money rapper was hospitalized for over a week, which he later told Los Angeles’ Power 106 was because of multiple seizures.
Because seizures can sometimes cause lapses in memory, Lil’ Wayne has said he wouldn’t even be aware of what was happening if his family and friends didn’t fill him it. “I told them the other day, ’Y’all can tell me right now that y’all was lying’, like ’You know what? We lyin’ ain’t nothin,’ and I’d have to believe them because I don’t know,” he told MTV News in 2013. “I go to sleep and wake up in the hospital. I don’t feel anything. I’m 100, I just hope it stops happeninG
