‘Bachelor’ Fan Favorite Details Near-Fatal Illness

Season 28 “Bachelor” fan favorite Daisy Kent is opening up about a near-fatal illness that she suffered years prior to doing reality television.

When she was 19-years-old, Kent was diagnosed with viral meningitis.

“I had this shocking pain going down my spine, I felt like knives were cutting into my back and down my neck. There was a point where they didn’t think I was gonna make it,” she told Us Weekly.

“I kept thinking ‘My siblings are never gonna know how much I love them. I’m never gonna get to do everything I wanted to do in my future,'” she recalled. She was sick for about a year and lost nearly 20 pounds, which left her extremely feeble.

Kent, who dated Joey Graziadei on his season of “The Bachelor,” also battled Lyme disease before being diagnosed with Ménière’s disease. Kent eliminated herself on the finale.

Daisy Kent Uses Her Platform to Inform People About Her Various Health Issues

Since leaving “The Bachelor,” Kent has used her platform on social media to talk about the health issues that she has struggled with.

On July 9, for example, she posted a video on TikTok in which she talked about what she’s been through. Additionally, Kent joined forces with the Ask2BSure campaign, which raises awareness about the Meningitis B Vaccination.

“Being on ‘The Bachelor’ and seeing how so many people related to my story and some of the health things I’ve gone through has really made me want to talk more about it and do things like [the Ask2BSure campaign]. If I can help even just one person by talking about it then it makes all the difference to me,” she told Us Weekly.

“I have an opportunity to share my personal life but I also have an opportunity to share my personal life in a way that can really benefit and help people,” she added.

Daisy Kent Opened Up About Ménière’s Disease on ‘The Bachelor’

While on “The Bachelor,” Kent talked about Ménière’s disease, which left her with significant hearing loss.

“When I was 11, I started to have these stroke-like seizures,” Kent told Graziadei while the two were on a date. She recalled being in constant pain and having trouble walking. Additionally, whenever someone in her family would get sick, she’d get it twice as bad.

When she was 17-years-old, she noticed that her hearing was affected.

“Communicating was really hard for me and it was super isolating,” she told Graziadei. She went on to share details about her cochlear implant.

“The reason that I can communicate with you the way I can is because I have a cochlear implant,” she told Graziadei. She went on to show him the device and explain to him how it works.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Ménière’s disease “is an inner ear problem that can cause dizzy spells, also called vertigo, and hearing loss.” It is more common in people who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, though it’s possible to get a diagnosis at any age, the site reports. There are a variety of causes for the disease, including autoimmune disorders.

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