Princess of Australia Bindi Irwin has put out a powerful Instagram post detailing her 10-year struggle with endometriosis.
In honour of International Women’s Day AND Endometriosis Awareness Month (March), Bindi decided to reveal that for the past ten years, she has been fighting an invisible fight and smiling through “insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea.”
“Trying to remain a positive person and hide the pain has been a very long road,” she wrote.
“A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain.
“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.”
Endometriosis is a disease that affects one in 10 women (but is severely underdiagnosed) and often causes intense bouts of pain, cramping, tiredness, bloating and in some cases, infertility.
Bindi revealed doctors found 37 lesions and a “chocolate cyst” within her body which were “very deep and difficult to remove”.
She also admitted to being distant in the last few years as she’s been pouring all her remaining energy into her daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell and husband Chandler Powell.
“I’m on the road to recovery and the gratitude I feel is overwhelming,” she wrote.
“Please be gentle and pause before asking me (or any woman) when we’ll be having more children.
“After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter.
“She feels like our family’s miracle.”
At the time of the writing, the post has accumulated 512k likes and 13.5k comments, most of which applaud Bindi for bringing awareness to the reality so many women face and sharing her vulnerability with the world to help so many others.
“I’m sharing my story for anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers,” she wrote.
“Let this be your validation that your pain is real and you deserve help.
“Keep searching for answers.”
Bindi’s brother Robert Irwin also shared the post in support of his sister and said he is proud of her.
I’m sobbing, I love this family so much.
“Endometriosis is a horrible, crippling disease and too many women endure this in silence, or are never even diagnosed,” wrote Robert.
“Bindi, your story of resilience is a beacon for women around the world who are suffering — and it’s a wake-up call for men too. It’s *everyone’s* responsibility to be allies for women’s health and help spread awareness.
“You never know who’s suffering in silence, let’s make this a topic that we all freely talk about.”
We must protect these two at all costs.
