Dame Maggie Smith, national treasure and star of Hollywood films such as Sister Act and the Harry Potter series, has died aged 89.
In a statement, the Oscar-winning actor’s family said she “passed away peacefully in the hospital early this morning,” but did not confirm the cause of her death.
The Downton Abbey star enjoyed an incredible 70-year career on stage and screen.
But the beloved star was no stranger to health problems, as she lived a life plagued by illnesses that she spoke candidly about.
She suffered two major health problems during her professional career, one of which left her in a “fog of despair.”
Dame Maggie Smith, national treasure and star of Hollywood films such as Sister Act and the Harry Potter series, has died aged 89.
In a statement, the Oscar-winning actor’s family said she “passed away peacefully in the hospital early this morning,” but did not confirm the cause of her death. In the photo of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
The Downton Abbey star enjoyed an incredible 70-year career on stage and screen.
grave disease
In January 1988, Dame Maggie was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease that mainly affects young and middle-aged women.
It occurs when the immune system produces antibodies that cause the thyroid to produce too much thyroid hormone, according to the NHS.
About 80 percent of people with an overactive thyroid gland are thought to have it.
The cause is unknown, but it is often hereditary. Smoking can also increase your risk of getting it.
Symptoms may include irritability and emotional changes, nervousness or anxiety, weight loss, heart palpitations, and sweating or feeling hot.
Tremors, lack of sleep, muscle weakness, and difficulty getting out of chairs or climbing stairs are other key signs.
In women, periods may also become light or stop completely.
In 1990 New York Times In the interview, she revealed that her eyes became irritated and bulging with swelling around them, which she said looked “absolutely terrifying.”
Speaking about the onset of the illness, which followed a cycling injury that broke his arm, he said: “It’s been like a fog of despair really.”
“It was awful having a broken arm, awful with the play, letting everyone down and on top of that I looked absolutely terrifying and didn’t know which way to go.”
Dame Maggie underwent radiotherapy and optical surgery to treat her condition and was isolated for 12 months during her recovery.
breast cancer
In 2007, while filming Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
He was given the all-clear after two years of treatment.
One in seven women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime (around 56,000 a year), making it the most common cancer in the UK.
The figure amounts to approximately 300,000 a year in the United States.
Between 85 and 90 percent of women diagnosed with primary breast cancer survive more than five years.
Dame Maggie Smith attends the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on 15 July 2023
Breast cancer symptoms to look out for include lumps and swelling, dimpling of the skin, color changes, discharge, and a rash or crusting around the nipple.
Checking your breasts should be part of your monthly routine so that you notice any unusual changes. Simply rub and feel up and down, in semicircles and circular motions around the breast tissue to identify any abnormalities.
However, secondary (or stage four) breast cancer, which accounts for around 16 per cent of all breast cancers in the UK and US, is much more difficult.
It means that cancer that started in the breast has spread to another part of the body, commonly the liver, lungs, brain, or bones.
In 2009, after revealing her diagnosis, she admitted that the disease had “knocked her sideways.”
She said: ‘It’s like the wind is taken out of your sails, and I don’t know what the future holds, if anything.
“I don’t think there’s much, because of my age; there just isn’t.” Everything has been. I have no idea what there will be.
Speaking about the treatment she received, she said she had no hair and felt “terribly sick” from the chemotherapy.
heart problems
In November 2012, Dame Maggie was forced to make redundant rumors that she was at the center of a heart scare.
She was reportedly admitted to a specialized cardiac unit complaining of severe pain.
But the actress underwent a series of emergency tests at the private Wellington Hospital in London and was discharged that same day, according to the Sunday Mirror.
The reports are believed to have emerged after Dame Maggie visited her doctor for a routine medical procedure.
At the time her spokesperson said: “She is fine and at home.”
Dame Maggie Smith is appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honor by Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on October 17, 2014.
Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench during rehearsals for their play ‘The Breath of Life’ at the Theater Royal Haymarket in London on October 9, 2002.
Glaucoma
At the age of 77, Dame Maggie became a patron of the International Glaucoma Association, now known as Glaucoma UK.
Around the same time it was learned that she herself suffered from the condition.
Glaucoma is usually caused by a slow buildup of fluid in the front of the eye, increasing the pressure inside the eye.
As a result, the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, is damaged.
Around 700,000 people in the UK and more than 2 million in the US live with glaucoma, which usually has no symptoms in its early stages.
It mainly affects people aged seventy or older, but people of any age can contract it.
Eye pain, blurred vision and vomiting are telltale signs of an incurable disease known as the “silent thief of sight.”
However, the symptoms of glaucoma, which affects two per cent of people over 40 in the UK, can vary considerably.
They can range from blurred vision and watery eyes to vomiting.
Glaucoma, which in most cases develops slowly over many years, can cause vision loss if not treated in time.
Treatment aims to reduce this pressure through prescription eye drops, oral medications, laser retreatment, surgery, or a combination of these options.
