Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin, opened up about her private health battle.
In an Instagram post shared by Irwin, 24, on Tuesday, she disclosed her diagnosis to the world for the first time. In the caption accompanying a photo of her lying in a hospital bed, she explained her motivation behind publicly sharing her story was she felt a responsibility “for other women who need help.”
“For 10yrs I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain [and] nausea. Trying to remain a positive person [and] hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc,” she wrote.
Irwin further explained that when she went to the doctor for her symptoms, she was told “it was simply something you deal with as a woman” which caused her to give up “entirely” as she tried “to function through the pain.”
After receiving help from a friend, Irwin revealed she made the decision “to undergo surgery for endometriosis.”
She shared:
“Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldn’t live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain. To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep [and] difficult to remove, [and] a chocolate cyst. [Seckin Endometriosis Center’s] first words to me when I was in recovery were, ‘How did you live with this much pain?’ Validation for years of pain is indescribable.”
Irwin expressed how grateful she was to those who have helped and supported her through this.
“My family [and] friends who have been on this journey with me for 10+ yrs – THANK YOU, for encouraging me to find answers when I thought I’d never climb out. Thank you to the doctors [and] nurses who believed my pain. I’m on the road to recovery [and] the gratitude I feel is overwhelming,” she wrote.
Sharing my journey. 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/0oKiLlHyOb
— Bindi Irwin (@BindiIrwin) March 7, 2023
She also acknowledged those closest to her who were unaware of what was going on.
“To those questioning the cancelled plans, unanswered messages [and] absence – I had been pouring every ounce of the energy I had left into our daughter [and] family,” Irwin stated.
Endometriosis is a condition that affects a woman’s uterus, according to Massachusetts General Hospital. It is one of the common causes of infertility and can make it “more difficult” for a woman to conceive.
However, Irwin expressed that she and her husband, Chandler Powell, will be having more children and went on to write that she is “tremendously grateful” that they were able to have their “gorgeous daughter,” Grace Warrior.
She concluded her post by showing her support to “the millions of women struggling with a similar story.”
“There’s stigma around this awful disease. I’m sharing my story for anyone who reads this [and] is quietly dealing with pain [and] no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real [and] you deserve help,” she wrote.
She added, “Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org.”
