Amina Elshafei had the entire nation eating out of the palm of her hands during her time on MasterChef in 2012 with her Egyptian and Korean style of cooking.
Now, the mum-of-two has revealed that she has been privately battling a rare autoimmune disease known as Myasthenia Gravis for over a year.
Amina, who appeared on season four of the cooking show, shared the news along with images of her receiving treatment with her 63.2 million Instagram followers earlier this week.
“For the last 18 months, I’ve been treated with a newly diagnosed condition called myasthenia gravis,” she wrote under the post.
“It is myasthenia gravis awareness month (June) and perhaps it was the little push I needed to confidently share with you my story.”
She went on to thank the “amazing” specialists and medical team at Royal North Shore Hospital for looking after her.
“…especially my neurologist, the beautiful nurses at the dialysis and day infusion units…and to all the blood donors who humbly share the gift of their blood to help others like myself get treatments dependent on blood products and to provide blood products in emergencies.”
What is Myasthenia Gravis?
According to Health Direct, Myasthenia Gravis is a chronic and non-curable autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness. Symptoms include blurred or double vision, slurred speech, drooping of the eyelids and shortness of breath. It is also common in women under 40 and men older than 60.
“In mid-2023 I noticed some physical changes to my body which I never experienced before,” a brave Amina explained to her followers in an Instagram video.
“I noticed I had generalised weakness which was getting worse…the other thing that I also noticed was my level of exhaustion was getting a lot worse. As tiring as it is being a working mum with two little kids, but the level of exhaustion was far beyond that.”
A pediatric nurse, Amina is grateful for all the kind messages she has received since opening up about her illness.
“Stay strong and get well soon. Thank you for the awareness about this disease,” TV star Barry Du Bois commented on Amina’s moving post.
“So sorry to hear this. Thanks for sharing. Wishing you a speedy recovery,” a fan added.
