I am going to fight: Samantha tears up during an interview

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has revealed more about her rare illness in a recent interview. The actor confides that there came a time in her life when she thought she couldn’t put a foot forward. She said she is looking back on that journey in awe and that she is here to fight a battle. She was speaking in a promotional interview for her next release ‘Yashoda’. Her voice faltered when she spoke about her illness.

“As I said in my Instagram post, some days it will be good and some days it will be bad. There were days when I thought I wouldn’t be able to put my foot forward. But then looking back I marvel at my journey and the impediments I crossed. Yes, I am here to fight a battle. 

 There was news that my illness was fatal and can cause death, but nothing could be further away from the truth. Of course, it was a battle. But it was never fatal, and I am not dead.

Some days it was difficult to even get up from bed. Some days I will feel like fighting it out. In fact, there were more such days. It’s been three months now. 

Those were difficult times. Endless days spent at the doctor and having higher dosage medicines. It was ok if we didn’t spend each day efficiently. It was okay to fail during certain situations. I am slowly realizing that we don’t always need to put up a strong front. Time won’t always be favorable to you,” says Samantha.

Even during her illness, she was dubbing for ‘Yashoda.’ She says she dubbed for Tamil and Telugu. That photo she shared on Instagram was during the middle of a dubbing session.

Samantha was affected by myositis, an autoimmune disease that weakens the body's muscles. Samantha informed the world about her illness through an emotional post with a picture of her dubbing for a film with an IV drip attached to her hand. She wrote how the disease was diagnosed a few months ago and she decided to disclose it to the world once she was better. But then she admits that this illness requires more time to heal than she realised.

“The love that I share with you gives me the strength to battle the challenges in my life. Doctors are confident that I will be completely cured of this illness. There have been good and bad days for me emotionally and physically. Just when it feels like I can’t handle one more day of this, somehow that moment passes. This too shall pass,” Samantha wrote on Instagram.

Myositis is an inflammation of the muscles that affects 4 to 22 out of 100,000 people. Symptoms include muscle pain, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing. In an interview with the Indian Express Dr. Santosh Kumar Aggarwal, Senior Consultant of Internal Medicine, Marengo QRG Hospital, Faridabad, says that this disease usually affects the limbs, shoulders, waist, abdomen, and spinal muscles. As the disease progresses, it can also affect the muscles of the esophagus, diaphragm, and eyes. Patients may have difficulty sitting up, climbing stairs, or lifting weights. According to Dr. Santosh symptoms such as fever, weight loss, and arthritis can also appear as part of this illness. Myositis is treated with steroids and immunosuppressive drugs.