Reality television star Jack Osbourne, son of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and “America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Osbourne, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), celebrity magazine People reported on Sunday.
According to BBC News, Jack Osbourne, 26, was first diagnosed with MS from the tests taken when he lost 60% vision from his right eye earlier this year. The news came as a shock to the new dad, who welcomed daughter Pearl with his fiancé Lisa Stelly in April, and received his diagnosis two short weeks later.
“I was just angry and frustrated and kept thinking, ‘Why now?’” Osbourne told People. “I’ve got a family and that’s what’s supposed to be the most important thing.”
His frustration was shared by his parents, Ozzy and Sharon, who are still trying to come to terms with their son’s diagnosis. Sharon, a judge on the popular reality TV show “America’s Got Talent” revealed to BBC News that she may even blame herself for this sudden change in her son’s health.
“I kept thinking: ‘What did I do wrong, what did I eat or drink when I was pregnant?’ I feel like it’s somehow my fault.”
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — and can affect muscle control, strength, vision, balance, thinking and feeling. Despite the degenerative nature of his condition, Jack Osbourne has chosen to remain positive, even choosing to speak out in order to spread awareness about MS. He told Britain’s Hello! magazine that after overcoming his initial feelings of anger, he has now adapted an attitude of “adapt and overcome”.
With support from his family and fiancé, Jack Osbourne will face his battle with MS head on. As part of his daily health regiment, Osbourne will use a combination of daily drug treatments, holistic therapies and lifestyle changes.
Osbourne, the youngest of Ozzy and Sharon’s three children, first shot to fame as the rebellious teenager alongside his sister Kelly in the MTV reality TV show “The Osbournes” in 2002, a fly-on-the-wall series following Ozzy and his family on their day-to-day lives.
The young star, who has been in rehab for drug abuse in the past, cleaned up his act and starred in his own show in 2005, “Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie,” which saw Osbourne undertaking various extreme sports around the world.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2012.
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