Is it Beneficial for a Celebrity to Reveal a Major Illness?
One of the most recent examples is Georgia Frontiere, the Rams owner, who died at 80 of breast cancer. Family members and team officials kept her illness a secret according to her wishes.
Deciding to reveal an illness can leave one feeling exposed and vulnerable. Having to worry about the added attention and press this kind of news can bring is especially difficult while battling disease.
It might seem obvious why a celebrity or public figure facing this decision would choose not to reveal a major illness. In addition to the unwelcome press, there are more reasons why a public figure might choose not to reveal their illness.
Being remembered for their work, not their disease is what most people desire. And, going public with a disease can be a career-ender, so many choose to keep their battles private.
Despite the difficulties in mentioning a serious illness to the public, much good can come from revealing it.
Speaking about the disease publicly can help raise awareness for it, and also help to encourage those at risk to get screened.
Another example: Lance Armstrong, who just won his 7th Tour de France race, shed light on testicular cancer, even while his cancer had spread to his lungs and brain.
Why do these celebrities reveal their illnesses? I suspect it’s because the act of revealing is cathartic. The end result is often clarity and a new purpose.
Critical illness insurance is now one of the fastest growing types of insurance. According to tiscali.money, over one million critical illness policies will be sold in the UK in 2002 alone. Advanced medical treatments prolong the lives of many critically...
Invisible Illness and Friends Who Don’t Get It: What to DoIf you live with an invisible illness, you may find the emotions of coping with people\'s doubts about it can be harder to manage than the disease itself. Most of us with a chronic illness must eventually accept our condition....
Invisible Illness Week Theme Offers Hope Despite PainThe 2008 National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 8-14, 2008, has announced this year\'s theme: \"Hope Can Grow From the Soil of Illness.\"...
5 Ways to Surrender Frustrations of Living with Invisible Illness\"You look so good! You can\'t be as bad as you say. You look perfectly healthy.\" \"You think you have fatigue? Try working full-time plus having four children! Then you\'ll know what chronic fatigue is.\" \"I think you\'re spending too...
Invisible Illness Week Awareness Grows Through Ill BloggersThe statistics about the prevalence of chronic illness are stunning. Nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA are living with a chronic illness and the U.S Census Bureau reports that about 96% of the illnesses are invisible. Hundreds of...