Sharon Osbourne shared her struggles witnessing her husband, Ozzy Osbourne's health decline due to Parkinson's disease, highlighting its profound impact on his life.
Ozzy Osbourne closes Commonwealth Games shouting 'Birmingham forever.'
Sharon Osbourne shared her family's journey with Parkinson's disease in an intimate conversation with British broadcaster Jeremy Paxman—who was diagnosed with Parkinson's 18 months ago—during the ITV documentary "Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's". She was asked about the challenges faced by caregivers of individuals with Parkinson's compared to the individuals themselves. With evident emotion, she responded, "When I think about my husband and others like him, who were once full of energy, enjoying walks and performing animated shows every night, it's heartbreaking. Suddenly, life comes to a halt—the life they once knew." She went on to express, "Seeing my husband in his condition saddens me deeply, but I know what he endures is far more difficult. When I look at him, and he doesn't know, I cry.”
Despite the challenges, Sharon Osbourne highlighted a silver lining in her husband's Parkinson's diagnosis, stating that it has brought their family closer together and deepened her love for him even more than three years ago.
During an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America in January 2020, Ozzy openly shared his Parkinson's diagnosis, expressing, "We have all faced tremendous challenges." He further conveyed, "Having come from a working-class background, it pains me to disappoint others and be unable to fulfil my duties. It's disheartening to witness my wife and children working diligently while I struggle to contribute to my family." However, Sharon confidently remarked, "He will bounce back and resume doing what he loves. I have unwavering faith in that."
During a recent conversation with The Guardian, Osbourne disclosed the additional health challenges he has faced alongside his Parkinson's diagnosis, including depression, blood clots, and excruciating nerve pain. In June, he underwent a surgical intervention to remove two metal plates from his spine. Sharon Osbourne revealed that the screws had become dislodged, gradually eroding the bone structure and leading to a noticeable hunch in his back.
Osbourne described his experience vividly, "With the compression on my spinal column, I started experiencing nerve pain. I had never encountered anything like it before!" He likened the sensation to the intense discomfort one feels when their freezing hands are suddenly exposed to scalding hot water, causing a sharp and excruciating chill. The pain became unbearable, and he admitted, "There was a point where I thought, 'Please, I beg you, don't let me wake up tomorrow morning.' It was absolute agony."
Furthermore, Osbourne opened up about the impact of the disease on his mobility, confessing how it has dramatically affected his ability to walk and exert control over certain parts of his body.
“You think you’re lifting your feet, but your foot doesn’t move. So I feel like I’m walking around in lead boots,” he explained.
In addition to the physical challenges of Parkinson's, the accompanying ailments can also affect a person's mental well-being. For Osbourne, it resulted in them experiencing depression.
"I didn't feel any joy. Nothing. So I started taking these antidepressants, which provide relief," Osbourne shared. The musician expressed that the most challenging aspect of living with the disease is its progressive impact on various body parts. As a coping mechanism, Osbourne has learned to embrace the present moment. "Because you never know," he explained. "You never know when you'll wake up and find it difficult to get out of bed. But you don't dwell on it."
"It's not a death sentence… It's a mild form of Parkinson's at the moment. I'm not shaking," he said in an interview with RADIO.COM.
WATCH: Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne's wild love story
Thankfully, Ozzy says Sharon has been an excellent support system throughout his health battles. “Without my Sharon, I’d be f*cking gone,” Ozzy said. “We have a little row now and then, but otherwise, we just get on with it.” Sharon told The Guardian that her goal is to find a personal trainer to help with Ozzy’s muscle “atrophy” and increase his strength. “He’ll never be what he was, but he will be good,” she explained. Additionally, she emphasised, “The positive thing is with the family, we spend so much more time together, and I just love my husband more than I did three years ago.”
WATCH:'My heart breaks for him': Emotional Sharon Osbourne discusses husband Ozzy's Parkinson's disease.
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/ozzy-osbourne-sharon-parkinson-disease-b2196455.html
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