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Over a year after his battle with a mysterious health issues began, Danny Bonaduce has at last received a diagnosis.
Speaking with TMZ, Bonaduce, 63, revealed he has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.
He will be undergoing brain surgery on Monday, and the procedure will see doctors place a shunt in his head which will drain the liquid.
Since April 2022, The Partridge Family alum has been grappling with an unknown ailment which has impacted his ability to walk and maintain balance. He has met with 100 doctors, but only recently did he receive the official diagnosis.
‘My life was talking to doctors, and I’ll tell you what, I had maybe Tuesday meetings with five doctors, on one single Tuesday. And just recently, nobody could figure out what it was. And I thought, “Well this is a big deal. I’m falling down now, that can’t be good.” So I met with 100 doctors, this one guy tests to see if that’s what I have, and currently, it looks like that’s what I was having,’ he told TMZ.
Undergoing surgery: Danny Bonaduce has revealed he has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain, and will be undergoing surgery
Speculating on how he acquired the condition, Danny said taking ‘a guitar to the head’ on reality TV and having a boxing match with Jose Canseco likely didn’t help matters.
‘I’ve done so many stupid things on a reality TV show I took a guitar to the head and that hurt, and was possibly the cause of all this, I got punched in the face by Jose Canseco, a 265 pound professional athlete, and by the way, I didn’t hit the floor,’ he said.
He also gave a shout-out to his employer, iHeartRadio, for being so accommodating during the ordeal, even installing a studio in his home so he can broadcast from the comfort of his own residence.
‘The show sounds good, even the doctor said, “If I didn’t know, I’d say you were a healthy person.” And then he looked at the brain scan and it doesn’t look so good.’
Describing the surgery, he said: ‘We’re putting a shunt in my head. As gross as that sounds, they’re putting it right here and putting like a drain for it the back of my head that drains down.’
‘From what I hear, if the diagnosis is correct, hydrocephalus, it’ll be 50% better right as I wake up, I’ll have a tube here, a tube here, and I’ll be like, “Hey it’s me I’m back.” But I’d rather be safe than sorry ’cause I don’t want to get my hopes up too much and I’ll be cured, because unfortunately right now I don’t mean to be a sorry guy, I’m not a sorry guy, but I will be completely bummed out if this doesn’t work.’
Bonaduce says he would be happy if he was able to successfully walk into his kitchen unassisted.
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‘I can’t walk currently… I’m never going to run track, I’m never going to box again, but if I can get from here to the kitchen on my own, bravo!’
Since April 2022, the Partridge Family alum has been grappling with an unknown ailment which has impacted his ability to walk and maintain balance
The son of veteran TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce shared information about his battle with the then-undiagnosed condition on Good Morning America last June.
He began treatment in April 2022 when his wife, Amy, first noticed his speech was off and called for help immediately.
‘I couldn’t walk at at all. I couldn’t balance. I couldn’t do anything like that. She looked really nervous. And she said, ‘You’re not saying words, you’re not speaking English,’ which of course is preposterous to me.’
Doctors ruled out a stroke, but still don’t know why he suffered the health problems.
While speaking of his condition, he noted that he ‘couldn’t walk,’ keep his balance, was slurring ‘really badly’ and had trouble remembering ‘anything.’
In April 2022, the usually boisterous personality announced to his fans that he would be stepping back to take care of his health, posting a picture using a cane.
Child actor: Danny began his career as a child actor, rising to fame in The Partridge Family, seen here circa 1971 with co-stars Suzanne Crough, Jeremy Gelbwaks, Susan Dey, David Cassidy and Shirley Jones
‘A bit of news to share — I’m taking a temporary medical leave from my radio show. I’ll share more when I know more, as I’m still working towards receiving a diagnosis,’ he tweeted, at the time.
He continued: ‘What I do know is I need some time to focus on my health right now. I love my job and talking to you guys and I’ll be back on the air very soon.’
Bonaduce then added a self-deprecating joke about his walking stick as he quipped: ‘Charlie Chaplin, Willy Wonka, Danny Bonaduce. I’ve joined the club of cool guys with canes.’
He has since returned to work, announcing he would be back in the studio in June 2022: ‘I’ll be back live on the radio this Monday. Can’t wait. My brain is still a little fuzzy but that’s never stopped me — or the people who hire me. ’
