Bindi Irwin breaks down on camera about health condition
Bindi Irwin has shown her vulnerable side in an emotional new video shared with fans about a personal ordeal.
The 24-year-old spoke candidly to the camera for 15 minutes with guest appearances from husband Chandler Powell and their daughter Grace Warrior.
In the video, Irwin recalled the “insurmountable” pain she experienced due to endometriosis before finally undergoing surgery.
The wildlife warrior announced her diagnosis in March 2023, but the new video explains her symptoms - which started when she was just 14 - that left her with “extreme fatigue, nausea and pain”.
“I had pain every single day of my life. No matter where we went, where we were going, I would be falling asleep. I felt like I constantly had the flu,” she said.
The conservationist confessed she tried everything to solve the issue, undergoing CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds.
“I was always in pain. We tried for a year, and finally a doctor told me it was just part of being a woman.”
Irwin said it was that comment from a doctor that led her to suffer in silence.
However, after giving birth to her daughter in 2021, the pain “magnified” to a point where it was “out of this world”.
“I remember countless times of Grace needing me, and me crawling to her cot at night,” she revealed, becoming emotional.
“I can remember being with Grace and lying on the floor in agony. I had a stabbing pain in my side, I couldn’t get up or I would throw up, and I was scared I would pass out.
“I was so scared because I was worried if I was alone with Grace, something would happen to me, and she would be on her own.”
Irwin dubbed the pain “insurmountable” and something that “would knock me over”.
She said that after returning to new doctors, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue.
It was not until she spoke to a friend, Leslie Mosier, who recently had endometriosis surgery that she realised they shared similar symptoms.
“Leslie said the only way to diagnose for sure is through exploratory surgery.”
Irwin said she decided to undergo surgery in the US as her daughter would have Powell’s parents, who live in Florida, nearby for support while she recovered.
At this point in her video, Grace woke up and joined her mum on camera.
“Mama went for surgery and they found 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst on my ovary,” she said in a child-like tone for the sake of her daughter.
“Ovary!” Grace chirped.
“After surgery mama feels a lot better hey? I had to recover for quite a while, and mama feels so much better, and she can run around with you!”
Irwin went on to share what she has learned being a part of the endometriosis community.
She revealed that excision surgery is considered the “gold standard” for the disease, where lesions and cysts are removed.
“Everyone says we need to educate the public, but there also needs to be a shift in health care. Doctors need more information because endometriosis has myriad symptoms. Doctors need the right tools to diagnose.”
She explained that her own endometriosis has been classified as severe, which means she may have to undergo more surgeries in the future to keep symptoms at bay.
“I feel like. I got a second chance at life... I feel like a new woman.”
In a final message of encouragement, Irwin said, “If you’re in pain, it’s so hard to get up every day and forge ahead.
“Keep searching for those answers and never give up on you.”
Image credit: Instagram