Justin Timberlake revealed he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and he’s been “battling health issues” while on his “Forget Tomorrow” world tour.
In a lengthy Instagram post Thursday, the 44-year-old singer opened up about how the tick-borne infection has impacted his life, causing him to experience a “massive amount of nerve pain” and “crazy fatigue or sickness” during recent live performances.
“If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” he wrote. “When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”
He continued, “I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out. I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going. Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but, I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget. I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
The 10-time Grammy winner wrote that he hoped by sharing his struggles with Lyme he could “do my part to help others experiencing this disease too.”
Timberlake’s announcement comes amid recent concerns from fans over his performance on some of the stops on the European leg of his “Forget Tomorrow” tour. Video circulating online from his shows in Transylvania, Romania, and Dublin, Ireland, earlier this month showed Timberlake appearing to struggle to dance and sing during some of his most popular songs. The world tour wrapped up Wednesday with his last show in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Named after the coastal Connecticut town where it was first identified in the mid ‘70s, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which typically lives in white-footed mice, chipmunks and birds — all animals that ticks feast on. The disease is transmitted to deer and humans through the bite of an infected tick.
Lyme can cause fever, skin rashes, fatigue, arthritis-like joint pain and in some cases nervous system complications and brain fog.
An estimated 300,000 people in the United States are infected with Lyme disease each year. Here are some helpful tips that can help your family prevent tick bites which can reduce your risk of Lyme disease.
An estimated 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with it each year, but only a fraction are officially reported. Timberlake joins a growing number of celebrities who have been public about their struggles with Lyme, including Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber and Bella Hadid.
The CDC urges people to protect themselves from getting a tick bite by avoiding areas with high grass and leaf litter, walking in the center of trails when hiking, using EPA-registered insect repellents and by wearing long clothes. Shower as soon as possible after coming indoors to wash off and more easily find crawling ticks before they bite you. The agency said people should do full body checks using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of the body upon returning from the outdoors.
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