Celebrity with Parathyroid problems
Arianna Huffington
The co-founder and former editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post revealed in her book "Thrive" that she underwent parathyroid surgery to address hyperparathyroidism.
Lily Tomlin
During an interview, the Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Award-winning actress and comedian Lily Tomlin shared her experience with parathyroid surgery. She had surgery to remove a tumor on one of her parathyroid glands.
Dana Delany
The star of ABC's 'Body of Proof' reveals the rare health problem that motivated her to live her healthiest life. She shares her top tips on staying fit and energetic after age 50. Dana Delany is no stranger to medical dramas — not just as the actress who plays Megan Hunt, a neurosurgeon turned medical examiner on ABC’s Body of Proof, or who portrayed Vietnam War nurse Colleen McMurphy on ABC’s China Beach 20 years ago — but in her personal life as well.
Delany has been open about her battle with binging and starving in her teens and twenties, sometimes eating as little as an apple and toast the entire day. Delany is speaking out about the importance of getting enough calcium, an issue that hits close to home for the petite 55-year-old.
A few years ago, Delany’s doctor expressed concern over an irregular bone density test. Even though Delany followed a healthy diet, exercised regularly, and took a daily supplement, her calcium levels were shockingly low. “I had a calcium deficiency that if I hadn’t caught it in time, I could’ve had osteoporosis,” she says. Delany was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, an overactivity of the parathyroid glands. “I had an operation and had one of the parathyroid glands removed, and now everything’s totally fine,” she says.
Now that she’s maintaining healthy calcium levels, Delany is back to a healthy lifestyle, including taking a calcium and vitamin D supplement daily, without any added worries. Since she knows firsthand about the dangers of calcium deficiency, she’s helping to spread the word among women about the importance of calcium by teaming up with the supplement company Caltrate and Susan G. Komen for the Cure as the new spokesperson for their Women Move the World Campaign, which celebrates women and their contributions.
Garry Shandling
The American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and director had hyperparathyroidism. Garry Shandling was born on November 29, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois, USA as Garry Emmanuel Shandling. He was a writer and actor known for The Larry Sanders Show (1992), It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He died on March 24, 2016, in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop, known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, stand-up comedian, singer-songwriter, musician, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical/comedy. He is also a Grammy Award-winning musician, producing three albums that charted highly on the Billboard 200: Unpredictable, which topped the chart, Best Night of My Life, and Intuition. Most recently, Foxx starred in the film Django Unchained.
On Nov 17, 2006, "People News" reported that Jamie Foxx had undergone surgery to remove a gland from his neck. The 'Ray' actor went under the knife last month after it was discovered his parathyroid gland - which controls the body's calcium levels - was not functioning properly. The condition can affect the nervous and muscular functions of the body, and the Oscar-winning star is said to be relieved the problem has been sorted out. A source said: "Jamie was a wreck before the surgery because he hates not being in control." The 38-year-old star is said to be recovering well.