There are many celebrities that face the same challenges in life that the general public does. A prime example of this is Selena Gomez who is faced with the battle against Lupus. Selena revealed that she was diagnosed with this disease almost a year ago and since then it has been no easy road for her.
When Selena took her first break from the public spotlight it created a lot of flurry and speculation among the tabloids and in what is not unusual many made the wrong assumptions. Selena’s break was so she could come to grips with her diagnosis of Lupus while at the same time being subjected to chemotherapy. Selena had been carrying the burden of keeping this disease a secret for three years. So when she went into rehab perhaps it was a natural course of direction for many to think that this was for addiction purposes.
While many of her followers were saddened to hear of this young beautiful singer’s health issues and had heard of Lupus before, few really understand the devastating effects that this autoimmune disease has on the individual afflicted with it.
Being the true star that she is Selena has been focused on trying to make her health her priority as well as stay in sync with her career, and bring awareness about this disease.
Selena struggled with choosing the right time to go public with the announcement of her disease which is understandable. It is a very complex disease and one that is very hard to understand. No doubt she knew she would be hit with a barrage of attention and questions, and didn’t feel she was in the right place at the time to be able to deal with the public attention. When she was feeling stronger both physically and mentally she did make her announcement, yet admits that even after this she wasn’t able to feel comfortable with the additional attention her medical condition was bringing upon her.
Selena herself has been learning about this disease and in a firsthand sort of way with having to deal with some of the most challenging side effects that it is known to bring. These include anxiety, panic attacks intermingled with bouts of depression. For these reasons as well as other Selena is going to take another break.
The signs were forthcoming that this recently turned 24 celeb may be in need of a break. Shortly after a performance during her Revival Tour at a concert in Jakarta, Indonesia Selena placed a post on Instagram that depicted something was going on with her. Selena, however is committed to her responsibilities and will finish her Revival Tour in December and will then take what appears to be a much needed break.
In order to understand the challenges that Selena is facing with Lupus it means having some understanding of the disease itself.
It is a disease that can manifest itself with the onset of a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, pain and fever and sometimes a rash. It is a disease of the autoimmune system that attacks the body’s tissues. As a result swelling and inflammation can occur. Aside from having to deal with the physical symptoms these are often accompanied with many mental symptoms just like those that Selena is experiencing. Just the fact that fatigue in itself is such an important factor on both a mental and physical level with Lupus, it is understandable why Selena would need a break and why it is imperative to her healing.
While there is no doubt that Selena maybe going through various types of treatments for her condition she did mention that she had been treated with chemotherapy. One should NOT jump to the conclusion that because of this it is because she really has cancer. Some forms of Chemotherapy drugs have been shown to be effective in the treatment of Lupus.
Conclusion
While Selena may not be in the position where she can be as active as she may want to be in bringing awareness to Lupus, just the fact that she has revealed it and shared that she has utilized chemotherapy as part of her treatment makes a big statement. It shows that when one suffers with this disease they do not have to give up their life’s dreams. Selena went on with her world tour even though she was well aware that she had a big battle ahead of her with fighting Lupus. For many others that have just been diagnosed with Lupus or have been dealing with it for some time, Selena serves as a vision of hope and strength.
Not only do Selena’s fans wish her the very best, but so do those who suffer with this most serious and life changing disease.
