Don't worry, guys — Lena Dunham is on the path to recovery. The Girls creator and actress concerned fans when it was reported she had been rushed to the hospital following her glamorous appearance on the Met Gala red carpet. Dunham shared that the reason behind her hospital admittance was linked to her public battle with endometriosis (which you can read more about here). In April, Dunham shared that she was undergoing a fifth procedure to treat it (and free herself of the ongoing pain), and has been experiencing complications following it. She also revealed that these complications almost resulted in her not attending the Met Gala, but, like many other women, she mustered up the strength to get through the night and enjoy herself despite the pain and discomfort.
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In the selfie, posted to her Instagram, you can see that she is hooked up to an IV, and that her burgundy couture Elizabeth Kennedy gown is laid out on the chair next to her. The 30-year-old also gets into a very relevant topic and far-reaching topic: healthcare in America as a woman.
"Thank you for all the love & concern that's been pouring in since Tuesday," she captioned the picture. "Although I'm much healthier than I was a year ago, complications arose from my most recent endometriosis surgery. When the healthcare of so many American women, especially our trans sisters, is at-risk- or already nonexistent- I am lucky to be in the position to seek help when I'm in pain," she wrote. "To those in that privileged spot- never forget that we are blessed and can pay it forward by supporting Planned Parenthood and LGBTQ clinics like Callen-Lorde with our [money emoji] and [clock emoji]. I also want to remind all the women suffering from chronic illness that we aren't weak- quite the opposite, actually. We do our jobs with skill even when we're struggling. We care families even when we can hardly care for ourselves."
Dunham also referenced the firing a Fox News reporter, who claims she was let go for publicly talking about infertility and endometriosis. Dunham writes "Just that morning @dianafalzone sued Fox after they took her off air for disclosing her endometriosis. But they're the ones who lost when they fired her, because everyone who's anyone knows that if you can battle chronic illness there's nothing you can't take on."
"We serve major face on a red carpet when we feel like lying face down would be more appropriate," she continued. "I'll always be proud of those Met Gala pics- not just because I felt beautiful, surrounded by art and magic, hugging my best friend tightly, but because they're evidence that women contain steely multitudes." Dunham's transparency with her health issues and ideas on women's health care is always a welcome topic, and affects more people than you may even realise.