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‘Real Housewives Of New Jersey’ Alum Amber Marchese Has Lyme Disease And Breast Cancer: Learn How She’s Coping

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 10:33 PST, Jun 22, 2016

Real Housewives Of New Jersey alum, Amber Marchese has revealed that she is battling Lyme disease, Entertainment Tonight reports. Marchese, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for her second breast cancer diagnosis, said that she was recently diagnosed with the disease.

“I was officially diagnosed last week,” Marchese said.

She said that she first started getting strange, flu-like symptoms which led her to talk about how she was feeling on social media.

“About two weeks ago, I had flu-like symptoms which included a low grade fever, headache, aches, chills, joint pain and awful neck pain,” the 38-year-old former reality TV star said. “I posted my condition on social media and a friend suggested I get tested for Lyme disease. She shared with me her struggles with Lyme disease and we shared many of the same symptoms.”

Marchese said that she asked for the Lyme disease test during one of her chemotherapy sessions and the results were positive. But she’s lucky that they caught it very early.

“I am very fortunate as I caught it so early that no treatment is necessary,” she explained. “But we are going to monitor it.”

“I feel really blessed that I caught it before it is too late,” she added. “I know so many people suffering from this disease and it sounds horrific.”

In addition to her Lyme Disease diagnosis, this is Amber Marchese’s second time battling cancer. She survived her first bout in 2009 but it was rediscovered last year. While many would call her situation devastating, Marchese says that she is facing it all with a positive attitude.

“If I thought about the joint pain, then the pain increased. When I ignored it, got my butt to the gym, it went away,” she said. “I believe in the power of the mind. You are sick if you want to be sick, you are well if you want to be well. That is just the way I choose to live my life.”

Amber Marchese isn’t the only Real Housewives alum to contract Lyme disease. Yolanda Foster from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has also revealed that she is battling the disease as well. She has also revealed that her children, Anwar and Bella Hadid also have Lyme disease.

However, Yolanda Foster’s Lyme disease diagnosis has become a contentious issue amongst The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills housewives.

As The Daily Mail reports, her former cast mate, Lisa Rinna once accused Foster of using the disease to gain sympathy from the public on an episode of the popular reality TV show.

“I believe she is sick, but I think we are being painted into a corner because of that sickness,” said Lisa said to some of the other housewives, while they were filming the show on a beach.

“Nobody doubts that she is not well, however, but I think that there is a component of her head not connecting to her heart and there is something emotionally going on that is not being dealt with,” she added.

“You know what I think? I think there might be a bigger spiderweb, a bigger manipulation, when it comes to Yolanda.”

As E! Online notes, Foster has written about her battle with the “invisible disease” in a book called Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease.

“I am determined to find a cure affordable for all,” Foster told People Magazine, during her book release.

“And it has been my dream to write a book to share all the treatments, knowledge, and spiritual growth I have acquired these past four years. As I’ve said previously, it’s my Dutch foundation that gives me the balls and courage to share my raw and unedited story with the world! By sharing my journey in this book, I hope to offer a voice and encouragement to people who are ill and find themselves struggling while uncovering the mystery of chronic disease.”

As US Weekly reports, Yolanda Foster recently announced that she will be leaving The Real Housewives to Beverly Hills cast after four seasons on the show.

[Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]

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