Bindi Irwin is celebrating a “second chance at life” after going through a major surgery.
Wildlife conservationist and television personality Bindi Irwin has opened up about her journey through a decade-long battle with endometriosis and the life-altering surgery that has given her what she describes as a “second chance at life.” For fans of the Irwin family, this story shows just how resilient Bindi is and the commitment she has now to spreading awareness about this often-misunderstood condition.
What it’s like living with Endometriosis, according to Bindi.
Endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, had been silently wreaking havoc on Bindi’s life for ten years. She described the pain as a “stabbing feeling” and spoke of how it progressively worsened over time, leaving her barely able to get out of bed before her surgery earlier this year.
Bindi’s openness about her ordeal sheds light on the big impact that endometriosis can have on a person’s life, not just physically but emotionally and socially as well. It’s a condition that affects millions of women worldwide, yet it often remains underdiagnosed and misunderstood.
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Bindi had 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst in her body.
During her surgery, Bindi had 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst removed from her body. The presence of endometriomas, such as chocolate cysts, indicates a more severe stage of endometriosis. Bindi’s doctor, shocked by the extent of her pain, asked, “How did you live with this much pain?”
Irwin told Fox News, “I said to Chandler the other day… ‘Have you always been this funny?’ And he said, ‘I think you’ve just been in too much pain.’ I said, ‘I feel like I’ve just gotten a new husband because you’re really fun and funny.’”
“I was trying so hard to mask my pain and be there and be present for my family,” she continued. “And it takes such a toll when you’re trying not to just collapse and hide it.”
Now, on the other side of the surgery, Bindi is embracing life with newfound energy. She can enjoy daily zoo walks with her family, attend management meetings, film her wildlife work, and, most importantly, play with her two-year-old daughter, Grace. For her, it’s like seeing the world through a new perspective, and she’s relishing every moment.
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“It is really a scary and lonely disease,” and she hopes that by sharing her journey, change can be made, and women won’t have to feel so alone in their battles.
Bindi is now promoting the importance of playtime.
Beyond her health struggles, Bindi Irwin is on a mission to promote the importance of playtime for families. She’s teamed up with The Lego Group for their “Play is Your Superpower” campaign, joining a lineup of notable stars. Bindi fondly reminisced about her own childhood playtime with her late father, Steve Irwin, and how it shaped her love for animals and the natural world.
“My dad built me a tree house and it was my favorite place in the world to play. It was where I could be a wild child! Surrounded by wildlife, next to the creek, it was where I felt most connected to nature and to my dad,” she continued. “That connection has meant everything to me and I’ve carried it through to my adult years. My world now revolves around wildlife conservation, encouraging others to care for our Earth and understand that we are all connected.”
She believes that prioritizing play is crucial in today’s busy world and emphasizes the joy and lasting memories it can create for families. She explains her passion for wildlife conservation and the connection she feels to her parents’ legacy through playtime.
“I am so excited to be part of this wonderful initiative. Encouraging everyone to prioritize play is something that I truly, truly admire and I’m so inspired by,” Irwin said. “It’s something that I am so passionate about because I feel like in the world at the moment, we are all very busy and our lives seem to continue to get more jampacked with everything going on. And I feel like just that time to play with your family, with your kids, sometimes it can get a little lost along the way. And so I hope that this is a reminder for everyone to reprioritize play, to prioritize that really meaningful time together where you put away your devices and they’re just 100% present and filled with joy because I watch it here at Australia Zoo, when families are having fun together, they’re creating these memories that will last a lifetime.”
Take a tour of the Australia Zoo with Bindi and Chandler in the video below.