Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne appeared happy with their grandkids on Easter amid their battles with major health challenges.
Back in 2020, Ozzy Osbourne announced he had Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder affecting the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by the nerves.
Osbourne has dealt with nerve pain, blood clots, depression, staph infections, and surgery over the years.
Sharon Osbourne is a stage 3 colon cancer survivor.
Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine or colon or the end of your intestine.
MacMillan Cancer Support, a charity that advocates for cancer patients says communication is a vital tool in helping support a partner with cancer and it could help a couple understand each other better.
Rock star couple Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, who have battled major health challenges over the years, appeared incredibly happy with their grandkids as they posed for a cute family photo for Easter.
The Osbournes are no strangers to the spotlight and publicly sharing their health struggles, with Sharon having openly discussed her previous colon cancer fight and Ozzy battling Parkinson’s disease. Their openness about their health has helped generations of fans see a new side of the loving couple as they focus more time on family and grandkids.
Ozzy Osbourne, 74, donned a wide-eyed smile as wife Sharon, 70, sat next to him gazing at the camera, both of whom are joined by their school-aged granddaughters and baby grandson.
Family has been a focal point for the couple as recent Instagram posts shared by Sharon suggest.
Earlier this year, Ozzy Osbourne announced he had to cancel tour dates while he continued to battle Parkinson’s disease, a disorder that affects the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by the nerves, according to Mayo Clinic.
Last summer, the English singer and TV personality had surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back, according to Page Six entertainment outlet.
“It’s been terribly challenging for us all. I did my last show New Year’s Eve [2019] at the Forum. Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves,” Ozzy Osbourne told “Good Morning America” and fellow cancer warrior Robin Roberts in a 2020 interview.
Prior to surgery, Ozzy dealt with nerve pain, blood clots, depression, and staph infections.
As for Sharon, she is a stage 3 colon cancer survivor who was first diagnosed in 2002. She had surgery to remove a foot of large intestine and some surrounding lymph nodes. She needed chemotherapy to kill any cancerous cells left behind.
With a powerful support group full of loved ones, she was able to beat the disease.
WATCH: Chemotherapy for Stage Three Colon Cancer.
Osbourne also underwent a preventable double mastectomy, a procedure in which breast tissue is removed to prevent cancer from developing in the future. She opted for the procedure after learning she had a genetic mutation that increased her chances of developing breast cancer.
As the couple prepare to celebrate 41 years of marriage on July 4, it’s clear family support has been an important part of both Sharon and Ozzy’s health journeys.
“The positive thing is we spend much more time together as a family and I love my husband more than I do three years ago,” Sharon told Vanity Fair last year.
Parkinson’s Disease
Ozzy Osbourne’s Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder affecting the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by the nerves, according to Mayo Clinic.
Symptoms tend to start slowly, such as a barely noticeable tremor in one of your hands. In Parkinson’s disease, certain nerve cells in the brain gradually break down or die.
People 60 and older are at higher risk for Parkinson’s disease. People with a family history of the disease are also at higher risk. Other risk factors include ongoing exposure to herbicides and pesticides and the male gender.
Common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include:
Tremors
Slowed movement
Rigid or stiffness in your muscles
Impaired posture and balance
Loss of automatic movements such as eye-blinking, smiling or arm swinging while walking.
Sharon Osbourne’s colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). It is the third-most common cancer according to the American Cancer Society in people of both genders in the United States, excluding skin cancers.
The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don’t have these polyps removed, they can sometimes change into cancer. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts.
Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long thin tube attached to a camera is used to examine the colon and rectum. If no polyps are discovered, the next screening won’t be needed for about 10 years.
“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Heather Yeo told SurvivorNet.
“Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Yeo added.
The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45.
Colon cancer symptoms and warning signs include:
Change in bowel movement
Bloody stool
Diarrhea, constipation or feeling the bowel does not empty completely
Unexplained weight loss
Constant abdominal pain or cramps
If you notice concerning symptoms or changes to your body, it’s important to discuss them with your doctor promptly.
Treatment options for colon cancer may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and/or immunotherapy.
Support From a Spouse or Partner During a Health Challenge
Nothing beats the power of support from loved ones for cancer warriors fighting diseases that have upended their lives.
Having a supportive partner or spouse through cancer, as the Osbournes have shown, makes the journey easier. A cancer diagnosis can also strengthen bonds of a relationship, as Sharon has indicated. We’ve also seen this with ABC anchor Robin Roberts and her partner Amber Laign’s breast cancer battles, and with singer Ed Sheeran’s “unbreakable bond” with his wife who battled a tumor diagnosis while pregnant.
Robin Roberts and Amber Laign have both battled breast cancer (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Receiving a life-altering diagnosis impacts the patient and their loved ones, especially their spouse or partner. MacMillan Cancer Support, a charity that advocates for cancer patients says communication is a vital tool in helping support a partner with cancer and it could help a couple understand each other better.
“It can help to ask your partner what support they would like and find useful. This makes sure you help where it is most wanted and needed. It can also help you avoid misunderstandings,” the charity said.
The charity also advises partners to allow a loved one who is dealing with a disease to feel as if they are “still in control.”
It’s important to allow someone who’s battling cancer to have some control of things like family issues, their own care, and finances.
