This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 Life Without Limits issue of Showstopper Magazine.
Many people experience and live with illnesses that you might never be able to see. From mental health conditions like PTSD to chronic conditions, traumatic brain injuries, and more, these “invisible illnesses” are more common than you think! In fact, 10% of Americans have an invisible illness of some kind.
We see representations of these everyday challenges on TV, in movies and music, and on the red carpet all the time! While these celebs deserve their fame as much as anyone else, it’s important to acknowledge the role that these illnesses play in their day-to-day lives making big achievements even harder to reach.
Selena Gomez
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that impacts a person’s joints, heart, liver, and kidneys. Selena Gomez shared in 2015 that she has been battling with lupus and even had to have a kidney transplant to treat her condition. Selena had to take a break from her acting and singing career to focus on her physical and mental health.
Lady Gaga
Fibromyalgia causes widespread musculoskeletal pain. In 2017, Lady Gage shared her struggles with illness as it halted her world tour. Pain is only one symptom of this disease which can cause fatigue, memory problems, and depression, symptoms that make getting on stage and performing intense choreography difficult!
Halsey
Did you know Halsey attended the Grammys after surgery twice? In 2017 and 2022, Halsey attended the awards show just days after surgery related to endometriosis, a condition where cells that should grow inside the uterus grow outside of it, causing intense pain and other complications. Even after treatment, endometriosis is an ongoing struggle. Halsey left the 2022 Grammys early because she wasn’t feeling well.
Bella Hadid
Diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2013, Bella Hadid has shared her journey with ongoing treatment from painful days to IV treatments of antibiotics. Lyme disease is an infection typically acquired from tick bites. Symptoms of chronic Lyme disease include chills, fever, pain, and fatigue and more symptoms that can make it difficult to complete everyday tasks.
Sarah Hyland
Sarah Hyland has kidney dysplasia. This means that her kidneys didn’t fully develop in the womb which causes pain and makes it difficult for the body to process waste. Sarah received a kidney from her father for a transplant when she was 21. Unfortunately, her body rejected the kidney four years later. She underwent a second kidney transplant with one of her brother’s kidneys in 2017.
Nick Jonas
If you were watching Disney Channel in the 2000s, chances are you know about Nick Jonas’ journey with Type 1 diabetes. Diagnosed at 13, Nick learned to navigate monitoring his body’s insulin while building his music career with his brothers. Now 31, Nick works to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of diabetes.
Gigi Hadid
Like all famous people, Gigi Hadid’s appearance is regularly a topic of media conversation and gossip. She has suffered a lot of body-shaming in particular due to fluctuating weight. While body-shaming is never okay, you might not know that Gigi’s changing appearance is due to Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland, causing fatigue, metabolism issues, inflammation, and more.
