From one battle to the next. Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Amber Marchese — who has been fighting her second round of breast cancer since April 2015 — revealed in a new interview that she has been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
“I was officially diagnosed last week,” the reality star, 38, told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, June 21. “About two weeks ago, I had flulike symptoms which included a low-grade fever, headache, aches, chills, joint pain and awful neck pain.”
When Marchese wrote about her condition on social media, a friend told her that she should get checked for Lyme disease: “She shared with me her struggles with Lyme disease, and we shared many of the same symptoms.”
Luckily, the former Bravolebrity caught the illness in its early stages and won’t have to undergo treatment as she continues to undergo chemotherapy. “But we are going to monitor it,” she assured ET.
Marchese, who is married to husband James Marchese, with whom she shares two kids, survived breast cancer in 2009 and was rediagnosed last year. Despite her recent health setbacks, the New Jersey resident has maintained a positive outlook on life.
“I am coping by getting my butt to the gym and pushing myself as hard as I can!” she said of dealing with her Lyme discovery. “I enjoy every day as a blessing and focus on my family and friends.”
Marchese is not the first Real Housewife to contract the autoimmune disorder. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Yolanda Foster has been vocal about her battle with Lyme since she was diagnosed several years ago. On Wednesday, June 15, the Dutch-born beauty, 52 — who is mom to models Gigi and Bella Hadid and son Anwar — announced that she’s leaving RHOBH after four seasons to focus on her health.
“I would have loved a more graceful exit than ‘Season 6’ but sometimes we don’t get to control the ending of the chapters in our life,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am leaving what’s over without denying its past importance in my life. I believe that every exit is a new entry and with that in mind I say goodbye to my @Bravotv Family as I continue to focus on my recovery, my children and bring back the privacy within our Home.”
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