Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, says she received a diagnosis of Lyme disease, which came as a shock to him.
The 41-year-old Reddit co-founder explained his health situation in a series of posts on X/Twitter on Tuesday, saying that doctors informed him of the diagnosis after undergoing multiple medical procedures.
“I went through a bunch of health tests, tests, etc. and found out I have Lyme disease,” said the tech entrepreneur, who is a father of two with the tennis icon. “It’s crazy. Luckily I don’t have any symptoms, but I’m going to get treatment.”
Ohanian explained some of the intricate details behind his diagnosis: “Good cholesterol is too low. Bad cholesterol is fine. Need to work on that. The positive side: 822 ng/dl total + 162 ng/dl free testosterone.”
Ohanian said that although he has a family history of the disease, the diagnosis took him by surprise since he does not belong to the group that is generally exposed to the disease geographically.
Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian, 41, was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which came as a bit of a surprise. He was pictured at the ESPY Awards on July 11 with their six-year-old daughter Olympia.
“I have a loved one who had it a few years ago, showed a lot of symptoms, etc. and just couldn’t figure it out until he was tested and then found (and successfully treated as well),” Ohanian said.
He added: “I spend so little time in the desert and the Northeast, so this was quite a surprise.”
Ohanian said he was going to “take some antibiotics” to combat the illness, adding: “You can’t keep me down, tick!” alongside an image of cartoon character The Tick.
Ohanian stressed to his 563,700 followers on the platform that he was in no way giving health advice to the masses regarding Lyme disease.
“Please talk to a doctor!” he said. “Don’t listen to me if I give you any health advice!”
The Mayo Clinic describes Lyme disease as “an illness caused by the bacteria borrelia” and adds that “humans usually contract Lyme disease from the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria.”
The clinic noted that while “ticks that can transmit borrelia bacteria live throughout most of the United States,” the disease “is most common in the Upper Midwest and the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states” nationally, and “is also common in Europe and south-central and southeastern Canada.”
People are at higher risk if they “spend time where ticks live, such as in grassy, brushy or wooded areas,” and the best means of prevention “is to avoid tick bites when outdoors.”
The Reddit co-founder detailed his health issues in a series of posts on X/Twitter on Tuesday.
Ohanian is one of many prominent names who have spoken publicly about their health battles with Lyme disease.
Others include Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Yolanda Hadid and her daughter, model Bella Hadid; music artist Justin Bieber; and comedian Amy Schumer.
Ohanian and Williams, who are parents to daughters Olympia, 6, and Adira River, 11 months, were at the ESPYs in Los Angeles last week, with Williams as a presenter.
The tennis superstar made headlines after attacking NFL kicker Harrison Butker in the wake of a controversial commencement speech he gave on May 11 at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, in which he touched on sensitive topics ranging from abortion to Pride Month to women in the workforce.