Bindi Irwin is thanking fans for their support following her recent hospitalization.
The 26-year-old conservationist, zookeeper and TV personality -- whose father is the late environmentalist and "Crocodile Hunter" star Steve Irwin -- underwent surgery earlier this month to remove her appendix and several endometriosis lesions. She was in Las Vegas at the time to attend the annual Steve Irwin Gala on May 10, which raises funds to support wildlife conservation efforts, and was forced to bow out at the last minute after she experienced a ruptured appendix.
In an Instagram video post on May 12, Irwin revealed she had flown to New York City to be treated by doctors at Lenox Hill Hospital, where her doctor, Dr. Tamer Seckin, a gynecologic surgeon, was also able to "check for endometriosis again." According to Irwin, her surgery was "a success."
"My appendix was removed, along with another 14 lesions (after having 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed two years ago)," she wrote in the caption at the time. "I also had a repair to a large hernia I acquired through childbirth four years ago. Thankfully, I am on the road to recovery."
Bindi Irwin speaks out from hospital bed after medical emergencyIn a follow-up post on Sunday, Irwin thanked her followers for supporting her throughout the ordeal and opened up about the reason for her medical transparency.
"Healing," she wrote alongside an carousel of images, including one of her posing in the rain with an umbrella. "Thank you for your incredible words of support and kindness."
"The reason I share my health journey is because more girls and women desperately need answers to their undiagnosed pain," she continued. "I've battled with endometriosis for more than 12 years. This disease is crippling and can make you feel incredibly isolated."
She added, "We need to raise awareness and change the narrative for women's health. I see you, your pain is real, and you deserve answers and genuine health care."
Irwin has opened up previously about her health challenges. In 2023 she revealed that she had received a diagnosis of endometriosis, a condition the World Health Organization defines as "a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus," which can cause pelvic pain and/or infertility, and depression and/or anxiety, among other life-impacting symptoms.
Irwin later underwent "extensive" surgery for the condition, during which she said doctors "found 37 lesions, some very deep and difficult to remove, and a chocolate cyst."
"[Seckin's] first words to me when I was in recovery were, 'How did you live with this much pain?'" she recalled in a March 2023 Instagram post. "Validation for years of pain is indescribable."
"I'm aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story," she added at the time. "There's stigma around this awful disease. I'm sharing my story for anyone who reads this & is quietly dealing with pain & no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers."
ABC News spoke to Seckin previously about the difficulty of diagnosing endometriosis.
"It doesn't show up in any imaging, and there's no blood test. Only by laparoscopy ... by looking inside directly with a camera, we can diagnose endometriosis," Seckin said at the time.
Bindi Irwin says she underwent surgery for endometriosis: 'On the road to recovery'According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, research suggests more than 11% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 may have endometriosis. The condition tends to be particularly common among women in their 30s and 40s and can make it difficult to get pregnant.
In her March 2023 Instagram post, Irwin, who has a 4-year-old daughter named Grace, addressed those who had been speculating about whether she planned to have more children.
"Please be gentle & pause before asking me (or any woman) when we'll be having more children," she wrote at the time. "After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter. She feels like our family's miracle."
