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Lena Dunham Reveals She Suffers From Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome In Emotional Post

The actress was addressing paparazzi photos of herself holding a cane

Lena Dunham has taken to Instagram to reveal she suffers from a genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after paparazzi photos of her leaving a doctor’s appointment while holding a cane surfaced.

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Watch Below: Lena Dunham Opens Up About Her Health Struggles.

Alongside an image of her wearing a blue nightgown and grey slippers while using a walking stick for balance, the 33-year-old wrote, “I could choose to be embarrassed by these paparazzi pics – I mean, that’s probably the point of someone publishing them in the first place – but I’m really not.”

“I could lie and say it was an early Halloween look (Don’t you get it? I’m going as a con woman leaving a Florida Keys jail after being acquitted of murdering her husband, and now she’s trying to get disability license plates),” she joked. “But the truth is just: This is what life is like when I’m struggling most with chronic illness.” 

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“An Ehler-Danlos syndrome flare means that I need support from more than just my friends… so thank you, sweet cane! For years, I resisted doing anything that would make my physical situation easier, insisting that a cane would ‘make things weird.’ But it’s so much less weird to actually be able to participate than to stay in bed all day,” she continued.

As for wearing her pyjamas in public? Lena made a very fair point that Justin Bieber wears hotel slippers pretty much everywhere, so why can’t she? “And yes, you’d better believe I’m wearing my nightgown,” she wrote. “I was walking four feet to the car to go to the doctor and I wanted to be full cozy. I mean, didn’t Bieber wear hotel slippers for like five years? Yeah, so I can wear my glamour nighty for two hours.”

The second image in her gallery was her later the same day in a two-piece blue suit while posing in a backyard. “And then an hour later, I’m in a meeting look tackling the job I love. That’s the two-fold life of a woman with chronic illness; we still rock our dreams and goals and passions (and fashions) and we live many lives in one day.”

According to WebMD, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a disease that weakens the connective tissues of your body. “EDS can make your joints loose and your skin thin and easily bruised. It also can weaken blood vessels and organs.” While there is no cure, symptoms can be treated and managed.

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Back in April, Lena revealed she is a recovering addict while celebrating one year of being sober. She addressed being in recovery while receiving the Woman of The Year Award at the Friendly House 30th Annual Awards Luncheon last week, saying “I am an artist, a writer, a dreamer, a cat lady, a secret folk singer, an obsessively devoted daughter and sister and friend….. and now I am very proudly an addict in recovery.”

We love you, Lena.

Lena Dunham has taken to Instagram to reveal she suffers from a genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after paparazzi photos of her leaving a doctor’s appointment while holding a cane surfaced.

Advertisement

Watch Below: Lena Dunham Opens Up About Her Health Struggles.

Lena Dunham has taken to Instagram to reveal she suffers from a genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after paparazzi photos of her leaving a doctor’s appointment while holding a cane surfaced.

Watch Below: Lena Dunham Opens Up About Her Health Struggles.

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