Joe Manganiello appeared to be the picture of health and fitness throughout his career, but behind-the-scenes, he was dealing with a shocking health battle that nearly took his life.
The “True Blood” star will be sharing all the details in his upcoming memoir, “Bloodlines,” which will cover his “previously undisclosed health ordeal — marked by multiple near-death experiences and medical crises — that led him beyond medicine and into a remarkable, globe-spanning quest that revealed answers about his ancestry, inherited trauma, and the deeper histories we carry,” per a press release.
Manganiello first experienced “a cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses” that attacked his skin, thyroid, eyes, lungs, and digestive system.
That led to a seven-year battle that involved “chronic pain, a life-saving organ amputation, existential crisis and a prolonged fight for survival that left doctors with few answers and no clear explanation.”
“It was the most brutally difficult time of my life, one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but also my greatest adventure,” Manganiello told People in a statement. “I hope that what I went through on this journey can give readers hope that answers and healing may lie for them on the other side of whatever they are fighting through. The process of writing this book gave me the gift of perspective that helped me to see that my suffering was a cocoon from which I would emerge forever changed.”
Manganiello sought a variety of ways to find answers on his health journey, including, “shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths, long-lost family records and the rebirth of his own spirituality.” He also looked into his own genealogy, uncovering connections to a survivor of the Armenian genocide and “hidden patterns shared by others living with chronic illness.”
“Bloodlines” will be available Oct 13.
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