Tina Turner Could Have Been "Spared a Lot of Suffering," She Wrote in Awareness Post Days Before Her Passing

Tina Turner, the queen of rock 'n' roll, passed away at the age of 83 following a lengthy bout of illness. She passed away after battling a number of illnesses in recent years, including kidney failure, intestinal cancer, and stroke, per TODAY.

Turner had previously spoken openly about having experienced kidney failure, intestinal cancer, a stroke, high blood pressure, and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of an abusive marriage. Turner admitted, two months before she passed away, that she had put herself "in great danger" for her health. The music icon reminded her social media followers on March 9, in honor of International World Kidney Day, how crucial it is to monitor kidney health, especially since kidney failure can start without any symptoms, reports CBS News.

In the picture posted on Instagram, an image of Turner is captioned with the words, "If I had known how high blood pressure and kidney disease are connected, I would have been spared a lot of suffering."

Turner said it was crucial to recognize the day since many people are unaware that their kidneys have failed because they do not experience any discomfort when they do. She urged her supporters to show love for their kidneys. "I have put myself in great danger by refusing to face the reality that I need daily, lifelong therapy with medication. For far too long I believed that my body was an untouchable and indestructible bastion," she wrote, highlighting how her struggles were exacerbated with alternative medicine. 

On the advice of a friend, the Proud Mary singer sought treatment from a homeopathic physician in France since she disliked the prescription and how it made her feel. However, she discovered that stopping the prescribed medication was doing more harm than good after a routine checkup, per Entertainment Tonight.

"Thanks to my naivety, I had ended up at the point where it was about life or death," she wrote on the Show Your Kidneys Love website. "In order to survive, I had to start dialysis. It was my only option, but it was depressing to be connected to a machine for hours," she added. "I realized that the struggle for healing is always also a struggle for accurate information," she concluded, with a message urging her fans to watch out for symptoms and show specific care toward their organs. 

Turner was fortunate that her husband intervened and offered to give one of his kidneys to her after nine months of treatment and ongoing education on the "silent" killer known as chronic renal failure. "The months after the transplantation were marked by a never-ending up and down. From time to time my body tried to reject the donor kidney as it frequently happens after transplantation," Turner said of the complex procedure. 

However, she passed away happy. In 2020, in her memoir, she wrote, "I'm happy to say that, thanks to my beloved husband, Erwin, giving me one of his kidneys, the gift of life, I'm in good health and loving life every day," she said. 

References:

https://www.today.com/health/news/tina-turner-illness-health-problems-rcna86096

https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/tina-turner-dead-83/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpkhvaFBS0K/

https://www.etonline.com/tina-turner-opened-up-about-her-kidney-health-two-months-before-death-205278

https://www.showyourkidneyslove.com/articles/my-kidney-are-victims-of-my-elevated-blood-pressure-tina-turner/

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Pascal Le Segretain