Bindi Irwin was left heartbroken after plans to honor her late father, the beloved, iconic Steve Irwin, were left in disarray when she was forced to undergo emergency surgery.
Back in May, Bindi, 27, arrived in the US with her mom, Terri, to attend the annual Steve Irwin Gala back. Yet hours after touching down in Las Vegas, Nevada she suffered a ruptured appendix and was rushed to the ER.
Bindi, a wildlife conservationist who has built a strong following in her own right, took to Instagram following the surgery to share a video from her hospital bed. In the clip, she said she was the “road to recovery”, while thanking doctors for their work.
While her appendix was being removed, doctors reportedly discovered another 14 lesions from endometriosis, a condition Bindi is known to suffer from. Those were also successfully removed, and a hernia that had developed after giving birth to her daughter, Grace, in 2021 was repaired.
“I am so thankful that I got the help I needed with Dr. Seckin and Dr. Chu at Lenox Hill Hospital. After many months of a grumbly appendix, I finally had to seek help the day of our Steve Irwin Gala,” she wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.
“After consulting with Dr. Seckin, we agreed that if I flew to New York, he could also check for endometriosis again. Surgery was a success.
“My appendix was removed, along with another 14 lesions (after having 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed two years ago). I also had a repair to a large hernia I acquired through childbirth four years ago.”
An unfortunate byproduct of her sudden medical emergency was that she was forced to skip the event organized in memory of her late father. Her younger brother, Robert, told how Bindi still wanted to attend the event in spite of her severe pain, but the idea was quickly shut down by her surgeon.
RadarOnline.com now describe Bindi as “heartbroken” at not having been able to make the gala. They also claim her ordeal in Las Vegas shook up the Irwin family, who lost famous patriarch Steve to a freak stingray attack back in September, 2006.
It was Robert, 21 who hosted the Steve Irwin Gala in May instead.
“And rest assured, I’ll see you at the next Steve Irwin Gala in Brisbane this November. One day at a time. Time to heal now. Sending my love to you all,” Bindi said at the time.
Earlier this year, Bindi opened up on the fact that she’d been living with medical issues for a decade before undergoing surgery.
“Dear Friends,” she wrote. “I battled for a long time wondering if I should share this journey with you in such a public space. It came down to the responsibility I feel to share my story for other women who need help.
“For 10yrs I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea. Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc.
“A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain. I didn’t find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life.”
Though obviously heartbroken by the loss of their fantastic father, Bindi and Robert have endeavored to honor him every step of the way since his passing. They still own and operate Australia Zoo in Queensland, Australia, and both Bindi and Robert are actively involved in raising awareness for the plight of animals the world over.
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