Louis Walsh Blood Cancer Battle
Louis Walsh, 71, revealed he was diagnosed with a ‘rare’ type of blood cancer called Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia in 2020 as he spoke about the major health scare with his Celebrity Big Brother housemates Levi and Ekin-Su on Friday but has since been given the all clear after receiving treatment in Dublin.
Louis Walsh was asked about how he fared during the pandemic, he said: “I was sick, and I think nobody knew I was sick
“I had cancer. A mild version, a rare one.
“In my blood, I didn’t even know that I had it until I went to the hospital, and then they checked me, checked me, checked me, then they found it. They said it’s a rare one.”
he then revealed medics were able to “clear up” the cancer.
Ekin-Su asked if it affected him mentally.
Louis pointing to his head said: “It did, I gotta be honest with you. It’s just up here, even when I go past a hospital I almost get sick.
“It’s all gone, I’m fine. It was just the shock of being sick and that word… nobody wants that word. Louis said
“In my world, it was all about pop music and all that. I didn’t think of anybody getting sick or anything like that. Louis continued
“And that was like wow, reality check, you’re in the real world.”
According to an insider, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, a kind of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is the reason Louis is currently in remission.
Some white blood cells in the syndrome experience alterations that cause them to become cancerous cells.
“This is the entire reason Louis wanted to compete in Celebrity Big Brother,” they continued.
“Being in lockdown and fighting for his health for the past five years at home in Dublin has made him face reality in life.”
All he wanted was to enjoy himself.
Although nobody outside of his family knew about his difficulties, Sharon Osbourne was aware of them.
It explains why he is so thin and why he sleeps much in the house.
“However, his family is pleased that he started to show his softer side and felt comfortable enough to open up to Levi and Ekin on this.”
What Is Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia?
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia is an uncommon slow-growing cancer that affects the blood cells. It is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and it is called lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma.
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia cannot be cured but treatments can ease its symptoms or sometimes eliminate its symptoms.
In Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, white blood cells change into cancer cells. The cancer cells can build up in the bone marrow where blood cells are made.
The cancer cells take healthy blood cells out of the bone marrow. It also may grow in other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes and the spleen.
The cancer cells make a protein that can build up in the blood which can reduce blood flow in the body and cause other problems.
Symptoms Of Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia symptoms include: Fatigue, Fever, Weight loss, Night sweats, Numbness in the hands or feet, Swollen lymph nodes, A feeling of pain or fullness under the ribs on your left side, which may be caused by an enlarged spleen, Easy bruising, Bleeding nose or gums, Headache, Shortness of breath, Changes in vision, Confusion.
Causes Of Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia
- Gender: It is more commonly found in men than in women.
- Age: The mid-60s is the average age at which most patients are affected.
- Ethnic heritage: 20% of patients with the illness have an Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
- Family history
