Celebrities with Fibromyalgia: Morgan Freeman
Recently, more and more celebrities are coming forwards to explain their struggle with Fibromyalgia. It’s always reassuring to hear these public figures coming forwards. Vocal press helps raise awareness for Fibromyalgia, and lets those suffering know that they are not alone.
Morgan Freeman is one of Hollywood’s most successful actors. He’s had a career that has spanned decades, and won an Oscar and two Golden Globes. Despite his success, a car accident in 2008 left Freeman with Fibromyalgia, and he has been struggling with pain management since.
The accident, which happened whilst Freeman was driving, caused him irreparable nerve damage. Despite surgeries to correct it, his left hand was rendered almost entirely useless. To this day he uses a compression glove, and suffers frequent pains in that arm. This pain, has led to widespread fibromyalgia. Freeman himself describes it as “excruciating”.
As for many people with Fibromyalgia, Freeman has had to stop partaking in hobbies, the way that he used to. He used to be an avid sailor and pilot, now he is unable to do either of those things. He can also no longer drive, or ride horses, in the way that he once did.
One of the overwhelming consequences of Fibro is the inability to do things that we love. Losing these abilities is a loss, and we need to learn to grieve and overcome them. For Freeman, he’s found other hobbies that can keep him engaged and excited about life. He plays golf one handed, and goes on long walks.
“There is a point to changes like these. I have to move on to other things, to other conceptions of myself. I play golf, I still work, and I can be pretty happy just walking the land.” Freeman said in 2012. Freeman’s message is that we can still continue to live happy lives, and find meaning in the changes that we’ve been thrown. For him, it was finding new hobbies and new leases on life that have allowed him to continue living happily and healthily.
This is not to say that Freeman doesn’t manage his pain. He has advocated for the use of CBD, saying “without this stuff, I’d be in trouble”. A natural alternative to some pain management, Freeman finds a way to incorporate CBD into his gently active lifestyle, providing him both mental and physical health benefits.
Although we are not all Celebrities, with land and time to roam at our pleasure, there are powerful messages to take from Freeman’s story of Fibromyalgia. The most important is adaptability. Yes, we have to grieve the activities we can no longer take part in, but we also need to look for new hobbies and pathways to give our life meaning. Not every change, he says, needs to be a curse.
This article is a continuation of our new series on the blog: Celebrities with Fibromyalgia. You can click to read our last post on Lady Gaga.