Corinne Foxx, daughter of renowned actor Jamie Foxx, has recently shared great news about her father’s mysterious health condition.
But did you know that Corinne herself is battling a chronic illness?
Just recently, 28-year-old Corinne Foxx courageously shared details about her health journey with an often-misunderstood and ”invisible” disease. For years, Foxx endured years of debilitating pain, nausea, chronic exhaustion, and bladder discomfort during her menstrual cycle, mistakenly assuming these symptoms were normal occurrences.
Between the ages of 13-24, her symptoms progressively worsened. Unable to attend work or school, Corinne believed that her debilitating condition was simply a normal part of the menstrual cycle, based on the information she had been taught.
But during one distressing event, when her roommate discovered Corinne curled up in agony on the bathroom floor, she realized that something was amiss. It was obvious that this couldn’t just be menstrual pain.
“I had a roommate tell me, ‘Corinne, this is not normal,’” Corinne Foxx told Today.
“That was the moment for me where it just changed the trajectory of my life. And then I went on this journey to start figuring out, ‘Well, if it’s not normal, then what is it?’”
Determined to find answers, she sought medical attention from ”five or six” different doctors, only to be dismissed with suggestions of hormone abnormalities or even bladder cancer.
“It was really a terrifying process and a frustrating process,” Corinne says. “There’s a lot of medical gaslighting that goes into this journey. I think women of color, especially, are often silenced or not believed when they come in with symptoms.”
Eventually, her determination paid off when she found a specialist who diagnosed her with stage 4 endometriosis — a reproductive condition where uterine tissue grows outside the uterus, resulting in excruciating cramps and persistent agony.
The doctor informed her that she could do a surgery – but there was a lack of clarity regarding the nature of the surgery and the possible implications. So Corinne started to look for more information and educate herself about the condition.
”My diagnosis was a traumatic experience. In my fifth doctor’s office, I saw a male doctor who had already made inappropriate comments. I already didn’t feel very comfortable, and he sort of blurted out the word “endometriosis” without giving me any context as to what that meant,” Corinne told Essence.
Motivated to raise awareness about this often-misunderstood disease, Foxx and director Shannon Cohn made a documentary shedding light on the lack of support and knowledge surrounding women’s reproductive health. According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis roughly affects 10% of women aged 15 to 44.
Her film, Below the Belt, was released in 2022.
Corinne underwent a successful operation in October 2018, performed by her obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Iris Orbuch. Since the medical procedure, Corinne has been free from the distressing symptoms she endured for so long – it changed her life. Apparently her famous father, Jamie Foxx, wasn’t even aware of his daughter’s health battle; he only found out just before Corinne went under the knife in 2018.
”I’m very close with my family, but this is something that I didn’t tell my dad about until I had scheduled my surgery. When you’re dealing with reproductive issues, it’s very intimate. There can be a lot of shame around these symptoms. It’s a sensitive subject. Also, again, that goes back to the lack of research. I wasn’t 100% sure I had endometriosis until I had the surgery. When I did tell my dad, of course, he was so supportive. He was holding my hand right as I went off to surgery,” she said.
Today, Corinne is an ambassador for the Endometriosis Foundation of America and Sollis Health. Her story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of self-advocacy and trusting one’s instincts, particularly when it comes to women’s health.
By sharing her own journey, she hopes to empower and encourage other women to seek medical attention if they encounter abnormal symptoms during their menstrual cycles.
“I am aware that me sharing my story is going to impact people who look like me and I hope that people see themselves in me and see a woman of color talking about her experience,” she explained.
Her efforts align with those of several other prominent celebrities, including Bindi Irwin, Lena Dunham, Halsey, Julianne Hough, Amy Schumer, and Padma Lakshmi, who have fearlessly shared their personal experiences with endometriosis.
As awareness continues to grow, it’s vital that society collectively supports and prioritizes women’s reproductive health, providing the necessary resources and education to ensure timely diagnosis and effective management of conditions like endometriosis.
Corinne Foxx’s bravery in sharing her story serves as a powerful catalyst for change, propelling us towards a future where women’s health is thoroughly understood, respected, and properly addressed.
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