Getty Ramona Singer revealed in March, 2020 that she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
Ramona Singer, star of the hit reality series The Real Housewives of New York, announced that she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in March 2020. The actress believes she contracted the illness from a tick bite she got while spending time at her Hamptons home, according to Bravo. “You must get tested once a year, especially if you’re in an area where there are deer,” she said. “But we caught it early and I’m very lucky and very blessed.”
Singer revealed to E! News that she began feeling sick around Valentine’s Day and decided to see a specialist, after a friend encouraged her to seek help. After receiving the Lyme disease diagnosis, she began taking an antibiotic and planned followup tests with her doctor.
Here’s what we know about Singer’s diagnosis, and how the reality star is doing today:
Singer Was Diagnosed in March 2020 & Says They Caught it Early
The 63-year-old reality star announced the diagnosis on March 4 via her Instagram stories, writing, “Thank you, Dorinda [Medley]. I was diagnosed, everyone with Lyme disease today and Dorinda swears by this to help with my immunity,” she captioned a video featuring several health supplements. “So this will be on my way to a faster recovery.”
She also noted that she experienced some fatigue with the disease, but claimed they caught it early and her overall health was excellent, according to her doctor. “(My doctor) said everything else is great,” Singer said at the time. “‘You’re a strong woman, very healthy and you can easily live to 95.’ I told him I want to live to 100.”
She isn’t the first in her family to battle the disease; Singer revealed that her sister was previously diagnosed with the disease in 2018. “It’s just a really scary disease and it’s not black-and-white,” Singer told Entertainment Tonight at the time.
She continued, “Life is about having your health — health is everything, and if you’re waking up in the morning and feeling bedridden, you don’t want to go and meet your friends for lunch or work out. Life is about embracing your passions, whether it’s work, family or friends and this disease inhibits people’s lifestyles.”
She Isn’t the First Real Housewives Star Diagnosed With Lyme
Singer isn’t the first Real Housewives actress diagnosed with Lyme, according to Bravo. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Yolanda Hadid documented her journey with the illness for several seasons of the show; she also released a memoir in 2017, titled Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease.
“What keeps me awake at night is not my journey the journey of my children and so many children in the world that don’t get the proper treatments that they deserve,” Hadid said in her 2018 speech at the Global Lyme Alliance Gala. “Living in today’s world is hard enough as a healthy child. It’s time that we all put an end to this. If I die next week, next month, next year — this is the most, the greatest cause I have ever fought for.”
New episodes of Real Housewives of New York City air Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. In the meantime, you can find all the latest in reality TV coverage and entertainment news here.
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