As we all know, we don’t live in a perfect world. No one’s perfect it doesn’t exist, even if you’re a multiplatinum musician or a Hollywood icon. Many celebrities we’ve come to know and love actually have learning, and non-visible disabilities. Did you know, that Earl Simmons, better known as DMX a successful rapper, and actor was bi polar during his teenage years? Bipolar is best described as manic depression. DMX made his name within the hip-hop/rap industry with numerous albums, including ‘Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood, and Then There Was X. Simmons addressed his struggles with bipolar in his 2000 album. ‘It’s Dark & Hell Is Hot’. Fans of the X, don’t be disappointed though, the outstanding rapper released his latest self titled album in March this year. Let’s not only talk about DMX to be the only celebrity who’s diagnosed with this disorder. Russell Brand, the British comedian is included in this list. In an interview with TimeOut magazine, Brand was asked;
“You were bulimic and into self harm as a teenager, have you ever been diagnosed with any mental illnesses?”
Brand replied; "Yes, depression and manic depression and more latterly, bipolar attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity. It's difficult to know which of those diagnoses are correct, because most of the time I was very young and on drugs.”
This hasn’t stopped Brand from being the comedic genius he is today, as he recently appeared in ‘Get Him To The Greek alongside Jonah Hill and Sean P.Diddy Combs.
Who’s next? Well, what about the incredible Hulk? Yes, I’m talking about Lou Ferrigno, who is 60% deaf from infections he caught during childhood. In an interview with healthyhearing.com, Ferrigno says “I believe I had fairly bad ear infections very soon after birth, and in that time I lost some 75 to 80% of my hearing. He goes onto say, I think my hearing loss helped create a determination within me to be all that I can be, and gave me certain strength of character too. Anytime I do a movie or a TV show, I make them aware of my hearing loss at the beginning, and that makes it much easier for all of us to communicate and get the job done".
The body builder also doesn’t forget to mention, while working out at the gym, he wears a set of hearing aids. This means he, like the other celebrities, I have mentioned are able to successfully manage their disabilities with positive thinking, drugs, enhanced technology, and willpower.
Despite having a disability, these celebrities have still managed to get on with their lives, and overcome the boundaries that face them. In Ferrigno’s case, he doesn’t see his disability, as a negative impact on his career or life. Ferrigno sees his condition as motivation. So, what’s the moral of this story, well, you can do anything you set your mind to, keep your head up and you’ll pull through!
