T-Boz, Sickle Cell Anemia
Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins revealed to her adoring fans in 1996 that she suffered from sickle cell anemia a rare, genetic blood disorder. As one-third of the popular ’90s girl group, Watkins was told by her doctor that she wouldn’t would not live past age 30, have kids, or lead a normal life because of her illness.
Watkins has since proved the doctor wrong on all fronts. She did have a another health challenge when she suffered a brain tumor in 2006 that essentially wiped out her hearing and her sight, both of which she ultimately regained over a tough, six-year recovery process.
Toni Braxton, Lupus
In 2008, Toni collapsed while performing in Las Vegas. In the emergency room, doctors first thought she’d had a “baby heart attack,” she recalled. “Twenty-three percent of my micro-valves and the small blood vessels in my heart were receiving no oxygen.” Further testing led to a diagnosis. “The blood work was undeniable,” the singer said. “It showed I have lupus.”
Braxton, who had once retired from the music industry, revealed that her one-time collaborator Babyface helped her find her confidence again.
“I think I was a little depressed, not being able to control my life the way I once had. Accepting that I’m older, the industry has changed. He said, ‘You got a lot more singing to do, sister girl. This is the where you have to plant the seeds and start all over, and that can be challenging, but you’ve got to do it.'”
