Jack Fowler from Love Island has Love Island has spoken out after suffering a rare health condition
The 27-year-old shared an update on his condition to Instagram after suffering a serious complication in 2020, which left him unable to feel his leg.
He began the post by explaining why he has taken so long to speak out: “So this post kind of took me a couple years to post because I wasn’t too sure if it was something I wanted you all to know. But I think just reflecting over the last couple months and how far I’ve come gave me some sort of courage to post & to hopefully give motivation to others.
He shared a video of himself struggling to walk down the street.
“This was me a few years ago, with early signs of Transverse Myelitis. An extremely rare condition which we think stemmed from me having Meningitis a few months before. I woke up one morning and couldn’t feel my leg.
“Around 5 days after this video, I was completely paralysed down my left side with complete numbness down my right side – caused by inflammation across my spinal cord, blocking my central nervous system. With getting worse each couple hours/days and unable to move, life became completely different.”
The NHS says that Transverse Myelitis affects around 300 people per year. Symptoms include muscle weakness, bladder issues, unusual sensations, numbness and mobility issues.
Fowler continued: “I needed help with everything. From cutting my food & eating to getting dressed & undressed. One of the most scariest times in my life. With weeks of tests and seeing the best doctors in the country, I still had no diagnoses due to the rarity of it. Which left me in the dark with what was happening to my body and also if I would ever recover.
“Recently I done Love Island Games which I know a lot of you haven’t seen over in the UK, but it was very challenging, games focused with a lot of high intense competing. And a big part of me doing it was to prove to myself that I could do it, even after what I had gone through.
“Also, a massive part of learning how to DJ back then was so I could keep my mind focused on something while sat down… with my hands becoming able again, it allowed me to learn how to mix.
“So really this post is more of a motivational one. Everyone has dark times in life & sometimes you don’t see how you’ll get through. But keep going. Keep focused. And don’t quit. And when you do, you’ll look back and realise how far you come.”
