Radio Fortune Africa – Cantona Joseph

https://zeno.fm/radio/radio-fortune-africa

Lupita Nyong’o posing for a photo during a past event. PHOTO/@lupitanyongo/Instagram

Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has expressed heartfelt gratitude to her fans for the overwhelming support she received after publicly sharing her journey with uterine fibroids.

In an emotional post shared on her Instagram on Friday, July 18, 2025, Lupita said the love and compassion shown by fans turned a deeply vulnerable moment into one of healing and empowerment.

She reflected on how the flood of comments filled with personal stories, encouragement, and empathy created a powerful sense of community and understanding.

Lupita noted that the public’s response highlighted a collective desire to challenge the long-standing silence around women’s health issues, particularly the normalisation of female pain. She highlighted the importance of breaking this silence and pushing for better awareness, care, and dignity for women suffering from conditions like fibroids.

The Oscar-winning actress said she was especially moved by the courage of those who also shared their own experiences, turning what initially felt like a solitary burden into a shared mission for change.

“To everyone who shared my story or theirs in the comments section, thank you so much 🤍. All of your compassionate words and shared experiences turned my vulnerable moment into something healing and empowering,” she expressed.

Adding;

“I was so moved to read your echoes to reject the normalisation of female pain and to end our suffering in silence. We deserve so much better.”

Surgery

The gratitude post came just days after the Black Panther actress revealed for the first time that she had undergone surgery to remove 30 uterine fibroids shortly after her Oscar win in 2014.

Sharing her story on Tuesday, July 15, as part of Fibroid Awareness Month, Lupita said she was diagnosed with the condition at what many assumed was the peak of her success.

“In March 2014, I won an Academy Award. That same year, I discovered I had uterine fibroids. Thirty fibroids. I had surgery to remove them,” she revealed.

She recalled how disheartening it was to learn from her doctor that the fibroids could return, no matter what she did.

“I asked my doctor if I could do anything to prevent them from recurring. She said, ‘You can’t. It’s only a matter of time until they grow again,’” she shared.

Lupita went on to describe uterine fibroids as non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus and can vary in size from as small as a pea to as large as a melon. While some women may not show symptoms, others suffer greatly.

“They can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and anaemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and complications with pregnancy. Some have no symptoms at all, while others experience debilitating effects,” she wrote.

The actress also expressed concern over how rarely fibroids are talked about, despite being so common, particularly among Black women.

“Eight out of ten Black women and seven out of ten white women will experience fibroids. Yet we speak so little of them,” she noted.

She criticised how pain in women’s health is often dismissed or normalised, especially during menstruation.

“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” Lupita said, adding that it wasn’t until she began privately talking about her condition that she discovered how many women were silently suffering.

“No more suffering in silence! We must reject the normalisation of female pain,” she declared.

All Rights Reserved © The Cantona Group PLC||2025