Bindi Irwin is getting honored for her advocacy work around Endometriosis.
On May 3 the animal conservationist received the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s Blossom Award and exclusively opened up to Access Hollywood on the red carpet about her battle with the disease.
“It means the world to be here tonight,” she told Access. “Honestly, if you had asked me a couple years ago if I would be standing here, I wouldn’t have believed you in a million years. Endometriosis was taking over my life and every day felt like just getting one foot in front of the other and now to be on the other side of surgery, the gratitude that I feel in my heart is overwhelming.”
The 25-year-old then specifically touched on what it means to be celebrating the “wins” for the disease.
“To be here tonight at the Blossom Ball celebrating [not just] the wins for endometriosis but also to bring awareness for girls and women around the world who are in desperate, desperate need of treatment and care and validation, that’s why we’re all here,” she said.
In March 2023, Bindi revealed on Instagram that she had undergone endometriosis surgery. In the post, the then 24-year-old shared a photo of herself laying in a hospital bed along with a lengthy post, that revealed she struggled with “insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea” for 10 years.
That pain made it hard for Bindi to do everyday things, like laughing.
“As time went on it hurt to laugh, and I didn’t want anyone to hug me because it hurt everywhere. It was so painful. After surgery as I’ve started to heal, it’s so nice because I can belly laugh again without wincing in pain,” she said. “The world feels brighter, and it means to much to be able to laugh with my family again. To laugh with my daughter. It’s so special.”
Although Bindi feels better now, when looking back at her journey, she told Access there were points where she didn’t know if she would make it.
“Every day I would wake up and wonder how I was going to get up and take on the day,” she said. “I think that’s something that we don’t talk about a lot. Endometriosis is unbelievably painful, but it can also feel very lonely. I was told by quite a few doctors that it’s hormones, it’s in your head and that feeling that it’s all made it, that my pain doesn’t exist that’s what eats away at you.”
Thankfully, Bindi said her family helped her through it.
“To be honest, my brother, my mum, my husband, my daughter, they are the people who got me through it. I kept going for them and kept looking for answers for them,” she said. “The gave me strength when I didn’t have my own.”