From Tom Hanks to Kim Kardashian — 25+ Stars Whose Health Struggles Inspire Us

As we follow our favorite stars in movies, on stage, and social media, it’s hard to imagine they cope with the same struggles we do. According to statistics, six in 10 American adults live with at least one chronic condition – and celebrities are not exempt from this statistic. Over the years, many celebrities have come forward and opened up about living with a chronic disease in hopes of raising awareness and breaking the stigmas tied to them. We’ve put together a list of these celebs who have shared their stories – their moments of pain, hope, and pushing through…

Michael J. Fox

The Back to The Future actor was one of the first celebrities to open up about living with chronic illness back in 1998. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and impacts muscle function as well as speech.

Since opening up and over the past twenty years, Fox has been fighting to help find a cure and ways to prevent more cases of the condition. The actor started the Michael J. Fox Foundation that has raised more than $800 million towards medical research to date.

Gina Rodriguez

The Jane the Virgin actress was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, the most common cause of hypothyroidism when she was 19. Her diagnosis came with denial, and the actress has said that she “rejected the fact that she had a disease.”

Hashimoto’s leads to an underactive thyroid, which changes the way your body puts energy to use. The actress gained weight and suffered from memory issues. As she got older, she realized that the rebellion of not taking care of herself couldn’t exist anymore – she takes medication, adjusted her diet, and has added daily activity to her routine.

Catherine Zeta-Jones

When her husband, Michael Douglas, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011, it triggered Zeta-Jones’s depression, which in time was diagnosed as bipolar II disorder.

This illness that is classified by longer low periods can be triggered by stress – it comes as no surprise that the actress was affected by her husband’s cancer and that her symptoms came to a peak as a result of it. The actress sought treatment by checking herself into a mental health facility in 2011 and then again in 2013.

Tom Hanks

One of Hollywood’s most beloved actors has Type 2 diabetes. The actor announced he had type 2 diabetes in an interview with late-night host David Letterman in October 2013.

Hanks is no stranger to gaining and losing weight for roles, so after Letterman commented on his thin figure, he responded, “I went to the doctor, and he said, ‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated! You’ve got type 2 diabetes, young man.'”