Bristol Palin's Candid Health Update During Thanksgiving Celebrations
Bristol Palin has shared a heartfelt update about her ongoing battle with facial paralysis while celebrating Thanksgiving with family near her Austin, Texas home. The 35-year-old real estate agent with Austin Home Seekers, who boasts an impressive 989,000 social media followers, used Instagram to document her holiday experience.
The Thanksgiving Revelation
In a recent Instastory featuring herself and her nine-year-old daughter Sailor Grace Meyer, Palin detailed their festive outfits for what Americans call 'turkey day'. She described wearing "black skinnies, black long sleeve, same denim shirt I wear all the time, vintage Louis Vuitton" before adding the poignant remark "...and still a crooked face."
This emotional admission comes nearly ten months after her initial diagnosis. Back in August, during day 194 of her condition, the daughter of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin had indicated her face was "slowly getting better." However, her latest update suggests the recovery process has been more challenging than anticipated.
The Sudden Onset and Treatment Journey
Palin was diagnosed with a form of Bell's palsy in January, revealing the condition struck completely unexpectedly. "I woke up and it was paralyzed, completely out of the blue - no warning, wasn't sick, didn't get the [vaccine], no recent Botox... just paralyzed," she explained.
The founder of Boy Hart has taken significant steps to aid her recovery, including:
- Eliminating caffeine and processed foods from her diet
- Undergoing acupuncture treatments
- Receiving therapeutic massage
- Using oxygen chamber treatment
- Implementing red light therapy
While most people completely recover from Bell's palsy within approximately six months, Palin appears to be suffering from a more severe version of the condition that causes temporary muscle weakness.
Family Life and Personal Background
The Texas-based house flipper is mother to three children. She shares eight-year-old daughter Atlee Bay Meyer with ex-husband Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor-winning Marine, following their 19-month marriage that ended in 2018. Her eldest child, 16-year-old son Tripp Easton, was welcomed when Palin was only 18 with her high school sweetheart-turned-fiancé Levi Johnston.
Palin's first pregnancy caused a minor scandal during the 2008 Republican National Convention when it was announced during her mother Sarah Palin's vice presidential campaign. Last year, Tripp made the decision to move to Alaska to live with his 35-year-old father, who has three homeschooled daughters with wife Sunny Oglesby Johnston.
"As hard as it is for me, and it's so hard for my girls too, I know that he needs to grow that relationship with his dad," Palin expressed on the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast. "And he loves Alaska so much, he's hunting and fishing all the time. So I know that it's going to be a good thing."
The former teen mother visits her aspiring motocross rider son "every other month" and maintains daily contact through FaceTime calls "every day before and after school." Regarding future plans, Palin mentioned in July she would "never push college" as Tripp "wants to work" and "have his hand in some sort of real estate/development."
Palin previously showcased her dancing abilities on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, placing third in 2010 and ninth in 2012. Meanwhile, her son Tripp and his partner Hailey Bills were the first pair eliminated in the ABC spin-off Dancing with the Stars: Juniors in 2018.
Medical experts suggest Bell's palsy may be caused by irritation of the nerve controlling facial muscles or as a reaction to viral infections like herpes or mononucleosis, according to the Mayo Clinic. Other celebrities who have reportedly experienced Bell's palsy include George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, The Bachelorette alum Emily Maynard Johnson, and wrestling announcer Jim Ross.
