Connect with us

Best Of

Bindi Irwin fears for daughter Grace’s health

For a decade, Bindi Irwin kept her battle with endometriosis hidden from the public eye.

Now, she’s opening up about the pain and uncertainty that shaped her journey — not just for herself, but for her daughter Grace’s future health.

Over a decade of hiding her symptoms

Bindi Irwin has truly carved out a name for herself over the years. As the daughter of the legendary Steve Irwin, she had enormous shoes to fill after her father’s untimely passing, but she’s done so with grace and determination.

With her sun-kissed hair, brown eyes, and her dad’s infectious smile, Bindi has become a beloved figure in the world of wildlife conservation.

But her journey to an independent and peaceful life has been marked by shame, pain, and fear. For 10 years, Bindi was in so much pain, fighting an invisible battle every day – but she wore a brave face and pushed herself to be the smiling image everyone expected.

When the lights went off, Bindi spent countless hours trying to maintain a happy front while secretly struggling to stay afloat.

”I lived for more than 10 years trying desperately to hide my symptoms,” she tells 9honey.

Bindi Irwin symptoms

Everything began when Bindi Irwin got her first period. With it came pain, nausea, and fatigue, which only worsened as she got older. Despite this, Bindi tried to carry on with life as usual. She got married in 2020, and from the outside, no one suspected she was suffering in secret.

But Bindi knew something wasn’t right, so she took action several times. She visited doctors, had blood tests, and underwent various tests, but none of this provided clear answers.

“I was tested for cancer. I had MRIs, I had ultrasounds, I had CT scans, just you name it. I was checked for everything,” Bindi once shared.

It even got to the point where her doctor suggested that the pain was all in her head. Without any medical answers, Bindi started to believe the doctor. Maybe it really was all in her mind?

All the stress and pressure took its toll eventually. She struggled mentally and began to withdraw. Her public appearances became less frequent.

Anyone who has been sick without getting any answers can probably relate — you end up feeling very isolated with your symptoms and withdraw from others. You don’t want to talk about it all the time.

That’s why it was such a huge relief when Bindi Irwin was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, an incurable disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.

To put this into perspective, getting a diagnosis takes an average of 6.5 years in Australia. Bindi had waited nearly a decade.

Discovered 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst

In 2023, Bindi took to Instagram to reveal that she had undergone surgery for endometriosis. Looking back, Bindi admitted that she was terrified before pressing ”post” to share her story on Instagram.

”At the end of the day, sharing my story with endometriosis felt so important to me that it outweighed my worry,” she told Honey9.

When the surgeons opened her up, the true cost of going undiagnosed for so long became clear: they discovered 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst, which is a cyst filled with menstrual blood.

Had Bindi gone on for a few more years with her condition, it could have had fatal consequences. It’s not impossible that she might not have made it.

Luckily, Bindi has always had a strong support system at home. Chandler Powell, her husband, an American professional wakeboarder from Florida, held her hand when she was at her lowest.

After her surgery in 2023, Chandler expressed his admiration, saying she is the strongest and toughest person he knows and that he’s excited for the new chapter in their lives.

Terri Irwin, her mother, also provided her with unconditional love.

Will Bindi Irwin have more kids?

Endometriosis can make it harder for women to have children, and according to Honey9, up to 50 percent of people with the disease may experience infertility. Given this, it’s pretty incredible that Bindi Irwin gave birth to a daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, on March 25, 2021.

“Along my pregnancy journey. I would often have times when I thought I was miscarrying because I would have severe unexplained pain. I would think that I was loosing our beautiful daughter,” Bindi said and broke down in tears during an emotional interview with Good Morning America.

Over the years, Bindi has been cautious about sharing her journey to motherhood, but she has talked about the unhealthy pressure and expectations placed on women to have children.

”I get asked if I’m having more kids every. Single. Day,” she says. While she knows most people mean no harm, ”but it can actually be a really hurtful question.”

After all, she’ll be living with this disease for the rest of her life. Bindi Irwin acknowledges that there is still a long road ahead. She feels as though she is still working to rebuild herself into the person she was before endometriosis took so much from her.

Endometriosis can run in families

As Bindi continues to recover, there’s a lingering concern that gnaws at her. It’s known that endometriosis can run in families.

“We know that there are both genetic and environmental influences that drive endometriosis, with 50% genetically related (DNA and genes) and 50% environmental factors, including lifestyle, what we eat, exposure to chemicals and the atmosphere,” Dr. Holdsworth-Carson, a researcher, told The Royal Women’s Hospital.

“There is a very, very big possibility that Grace will have endometriosis, which really does weigh on me,” Bindi says.

It’s truly heartbreaking that Bindi had to endure so much before finally receiving a proper diagnosis. She suffered so long needlessly. I truly hope her daughter, Grace, doesn’t have to face the same struggles. But at least now that the family is aware of the issue, if Grace were to experience similar symptoms, she won’t have to endure the same long and painful journey to get help.

I’m so glad Bindi is sharing her story! Breaking the stigma surrounding endometriosis is half the battle, according to her, and Bindi is doing an amazing job by being so open about it.

Hopefully, her public persona and strong advocacy will help raise awareness, lead to faster diagnoses, and improve treatments. Such a big part of the problem is how much people don’t know what it is or what the signs are.

No woman should have to suffer because some doctors lack knowledge. Share this article if you agree!

Best Of

Young woman with facial tattoos, piercings confronts TJ Maxx employees after she was denied a job

Anyone who has ever been rejected from a job has probably found themselves wondering what disqualified them from the position. Was it a lack of skills, the way you presented yourself, or something else?

Ash Putnam, 23, was recently denied a job at TJ Maxx and took her frustrations to TikTok where her video went viral.

Her video has since amassed more than seven million views and tens of thousands of comments. As the 20-something, who is covered in tattoos, wondered how young people could get an entry level job, everyone in the comments seemed to be in agreement about one thing.

Putnam explained on her viral TikTok how she applied for a job at a TJ Maxx only to receive an automatic email “a few weeks” later denying her application.

“They couldn’t even call me, they just sent me some automated email.”

Unsatisfied with the response, Putnam visited the store where she applied and confronted store employees.

“I went in today and was like, ‘So what was the reason why I didn’t get hired?’ She was like, ‘Oh you just don’t have enough experience there was candidates that had more experience than you’.”

“I asked her if it was about my tattoos obviously because I know a lot of places don’t like tattoos. She said that wasn’t the reason, I don’t feel like that’s true but whatever I will leave it at that.”

“Just because I have tattoos does not mean I am not going to be a good worker. I do not understand that at all. Quite literally some of the most smart intelligent people I have ever met are people with tattoos and piercings,” she continued.

Although the Californian, who works for Uber Eats, never get a straight answer from TJ Maxx, people on TikTok seemed to agree on the reason she was denied the job.

“tattooer here, it’s probably the tattoos”

“HR supervisor here. There is no way any company would put you in front of customers like TJ maxx.”

“I worked at TJ Maxx and they will hire just about anyone that comes off the street it’s definitely the tattoos and piercings”

“I don’t think it’s because you have tattoos…I think it’s WHERE you have tattoos ??‍♂️”

Putnam also seems to think it’s her tattoos as well.

“I absolutely do think it’s about my tattoos because apparently my tattoos are demonic and scary to a lot of people,” she told the Daily Star.

“TJ Maxx did not say this to me – that’s just a lot of the comments I’ve gotten on my video. People are being extremely hateful on my TikTok saying I should work at a circus or Halloween stores.”

Even if her body art is the reason she was denied a job at the retailer, she believes companies need to rethink their hiring process.

“If they think tattoos determine job skill and qualifications they really need to rethink. Tattoos, piercings and colored hair are not unprofessional. It shows creativity and uniqueness. It’s 2024, people need to get over not liking tattoos.”

Do you think tattoos play a part in whether or not a person gets a job? Should they? Let us know your thoughts on Facebook.

Continue Reading

Best Of

Teen who wasn’t expected to live 18 months graduates high school

When Braden West was born, doctors told his parents that he would not survive.

The little boy had all odds against him – but his life-threatening condition would lead to one miracle after another. Today, Braden is 22 and celebrates his life by becoming a firefighter.

Braden West was born with the rare craniofacial condition, Pfeiffer syndrome Type 2, which causes malformations of the skull and an underdeveloped brain. His mom Cheri understood something was wrong and was told about her son’s condition two weeks before he was born.

“I mean, he’s kicking in my belly and I’m praying for God to take him home,” Cheri told News Nation Now in 2020, adding:

“It looked like he was not going to have the back of his head. It looked like he was going to be born with teeth. It looked like it was a bad situation.”

But when Braden was born, Cheri immediately bonded with her special boy.

Facebook / Michele Eddings Linn

Sadly, Cheri also felt that there wasn’t much she could do to save her baby boy. Many of the children with Braden’s condition will not live past birth. In Braden’s case, he wasn’t expected to live beyond 18 months.

“I said dear God please, just let me have him for a little while,” said Cheri.

“There’s a picture of him when he was born and it shows his skull very well, a distinct clover shape,” Cheri told The Owensboro Times, adding:

“At a month old they let us bring him home. He was not thriving, they knew he was not going to make it. We brought him home to meet everyone so he wouldn’t die in a hospital.”

Facebook / Michele Eddings Linn

But since his birth, Braden has been defying all the odds. With the support of his loving family, the little boy started to show signs of progression.

“He had over 30 surgeries, got a tracheotomy at just 3 months old, and once had a procedure done with a 10% survival rate,” Cheri said. “We had to sign the DNR papers, say our goodbyes and everything. Instead of bad news, the doctors came out and said he was okay.”

As well as the support of his loving family he also formed a special bond with registered nurse Michele Eddings Linn.

When Braden was a baby his health fell into decline and his future looked uncertain.


“Anything a mother doesn’t want to hear is what they told us. It’s amazing with faith in God what you can get through. Anyone who knew us or knew of us were praying for us,” Cheri said.

Michele was by his side the night Braden almost lost his life. “I just remember, you know, praying, ‘Lord just either take him home or make him better,’” she said. “Because no one could watch him continue to go through this.”

Linn said when baby Braden pulled through that night he was her first patient who ever got to leave hospice care. Now the two are so close that Braden even asked Michele, who he refers to as his “angel,” to take his senior photos.

“17 years ago I cried because I thought his time on Earth was ending, and now I’m crying because he is graduating [from] high school and his life is just beginning!,” Linn wrote on a Facebook post.

“To watch him become this amazing young man has been emotional, but yet I’m so proud,” mom Cheri told The Epoch Times.

“When I was watching him walk the line, every emotion of the first few months of his life came flooding back. All I could think about was, he isn’t supposed to be doing this, he wasn’t supposed to even be able to hold a pencil, speak, see, hear … and here we are.”

To celebrate such an amazing milestone in Braden’s life his parents organized for him to be flown into the middle of a live concert which featured one of his favorite musicians, country singer Cam Thomspon, via helicopter.

Braden described his graduation day as “perfect”.

“I feel pretty good knowing I worked so hard to get to this day because it wasn’t always easy,” he added.

Braden, who walked with a walker until he was five years old and learned to walk on his own with lots of therapy, is now a member of the civil air patrol unit in Owensboro, Kentucky.

He always dreamed big and now, he’s living out his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, joining the Moseleyville fire dept as a volunteer fireman.

His mom Cheri says her son’s achievements serve as a special reminder to those with all the odds stacked against them.

“Don’t ever give up … No matter how hard the mountain is to climb, keep climbing because the view at the top is amazing!”

Thanks to Braden’s faith and determination he’s not only survived but thrived with his amazing grades.

Help us congratulate this inspirational young man and wish him a future of health and happiness by sharing this story.

Continue Reading

Best Of

Purple butterfly sticker near newborns – here’s what it means

Only weeks after Millie Smith and Lewis Cann learned they were having twin baby girls, they learned that only one would survive.

On April 30, after 30 weeks of a high-risk pregnancy, Smith delivered identical twins, Callie and Skye, the latter who lived only three hours.

Later in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Callie slept without her sister in the incubator, with her loving and grieving parents watching over her. In the unit with other babies, an overwhelmed mom of healthy newborn twins innocently told Smith that she was “so lucky” to not have two babies.

Crushed by the words, the new mom couldn’t find the words to explain her loss. Then, she realized that Skye’s legacy was to help other families who lose a child, and it came in the form of a purple butterfly.

In November 2015 Millie Smith and partner Lewis Cann found out they were having their first Child. Smith, who has twins in the family, said she had a “gut feeling” about having a duo and 10 weeks later, doctors confirmed she was expecting identical twin girls.

Less than two weeks after the excitement of knowing they would double the children in their home, the British couple were devastated to learn that one of their babies had a fatal condition and wouldn’t survive after birth.

“During the scan, the doctor didn’t say anything. I was very excited and loved seeing the little babies, but she was silent. Both Lewis and I immediately knew there must be a problem,” Smith said.

Doctors shared the news that one of the babies had anencephaly, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affects about one in 4,600 babies across the U.S. It’s a serious birth defect where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull, and “almost all babies born with anencephaly will die shortly after birth.”

Knowing that one baby would die soon after birth, and that there were risks involved for their other baby, the couple decided to move forward with the extremely high-risk pregnancy.

Over the next several months, Smith and Cann named their twins Skye and Callie. “We knew that Skye needed to have a name before she was born,” Smith said. “Knowing she would only survive for seconds or minutes, I wanted her to be named during that time.”

The meaning behind “Skye,” she explained “was somewhere we knew she would always be, that we could look up at the sky and remember our baby.”

When Smith went into labor after only 30 weeks on April 30, she needed an emergency C-section. To help navigate the loss, the couple had a “bereavement midwife” during the birth, and they were put I a special room the called the “Daisy Room,” where families can spend time with a baby before and after she/he passes.

“When the girls were born, they both cried. This was a huge moment, as we were told that Skye would not make a noise or move,” said Smith, who was thankful to have three hours with Skye before she died. “We were cuddling Skye when she passed away. This was the worst moment in our lives. I have never ever felt heartbreak like that before. But I am proud that she fought for so long to spend time with us.”

Born premature, Callie had to stay in NICU while she gained some strength and also in the unit were three other sets of twin.

“Most of the nurses were aware of what had happened, but as time passed, people stopped talking about Skye. After about four weeks, everyone acted as though nothing had happened, meaning the families around me had no idea about our situation,” Smith recalled.

One morning, a stressed mother whose twins were also in NICU, harmlessly said to Smith that she was “so lucky” to not have twins.

“None of the other parents knew what had happened or anything about Skye. The comment was completely innocent and more out of humor…They weren’t to know that I did at one point have two.” Smith continued, “But the comment nearly broke me. I ran out [of] the room in tears and they had no idea why. I didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened. A simple sticker would have avoided that entire situation.”

It was in that moment Smith realized she had to create something that would speak for parents who had just lost a baby, ensuring the misunderstanding never happens again.

She designed a poster for the NICU explaining both hospital personnel and visitors that any incubator with a purple butterfly on it means that one or more babies, in a set of multiples were lost.

“I chose butterflies, as I felt it was fitting to remember the babies that flew away, the color purple because it is suitable for both boys or girls,” said Smith.

The purple butterfly concept–now under the Skye High Foundation–has spread to hospitals in several countries around the world.

Callie is now a lively, happy seven-year-old, and twin’s memory lives in purple butterfly cards along with other initiatives to help families with babies like Skye all over the world. The purple butterflies now come in numerous forms, like ornaments, cards, blankets, stuffed animals and more.

“Ultimately I will never be able to stop this from happening but the more support groups we can set up and put things in place like the stickers the better it will be. It’s the hardest thing anyone has to deal with,” Smith said.

Losing a child of any age can’t be easy for a parent and the world is blessed for people like Millie Smith who’s aiming to help others.

Please share this story so others know what a purple butterfly next to a newborn means!

If you enjoyed reading this story about Millie Smith and her twins, you’ll probably also love the story about a new mom who thought she was having seven babies, but instead had nine!

Continue Reading

Trending