Samantha reflects on one-year battle with rare autoimmune disease

Hyderabad: Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who is preparing for her upcoming streaming special, the Indian adaptation of 'Citadel', commemorated one year on Thursday since she received her diagnosis of the autoimmune disease myositis.

The actress took to her Instagram to share a set of pictures and a video from the beautiful Church of Saint Sava, in Belgrade, Serbia. She posted a long, detailed and inspiring message speaking about her one year battle and the lessons she learned from it. She wrote, "It's been one year since the diagnosis. A year of forced new normal".

Myositis is a rare condition that causes inflammation of the muscles leading to various symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, trouble swallowing, breathing etc. The main muscles to be affected are around the shoulders, hips and thighs, though it can also lead to other parts of the body being affected, such as the skin, lungs or heart.

Describing her battle in detail, Samantha wrote: "Many battles with my body.. no salt, sugar or grains with a cocktail of meds for main course, forced shutdowns and forced restarts. A year of seeking meaning, reflection and introspection. Of professional failures too to make things more interesting".

"Year of prayers and poojas.. not praying for blessings and gifts but praying to just find strength and peace. A year that has taught me that not everything goes your way all the time. And more importantly, that it's ok when it doesn't. That I must control the controllable, let go off the rest, and keep moving forward one step at a time. That sometimes it's not about grand successes, but that functioning forward is in itself a win.

"That I mustn't sit around waiting for things to be perfect again or wallowing in the past. That I must hang on to love and those I love and not give hate the power to affect me. There will be so many of you fighting far harder battles. I pray for you too. The gods may delay, but they never deny. They never deny peace, love, joy and strength to those who seek it. The only things worth seeking", she added. The actress is currently working on Telugu film 'Kushi' and the English rom-com 'Chennai Story'.
(With IANS inputs)