A chronic illness diagnosis comes with several challenges, including extensive treatment

and unfortunately even some stigmatization.

According to the CDC, six and ten American adults have at least one chronic condition

and four and ten adults have two or more.

It turns out Hollywood isn't exempt from this statistic as several celebrities have recently

come forward to share their stories about living with chronic illnesses like diabetes or even multiple sclerosis.

When this happens, there is a greater understanding of the disease,

more knowledge about it, perhaps even more funding into the societies that help figure out how to cure it,

and also, what's most important, is a de-stigmatization associated with the condition.

For example, in March 2000, to reduce the stigma of the procedure associated with

colonoscopies, Katie Couric, who's now been deemed the Katie Coric effect, actually

had a live colonoscopy on TV. She walked the millions of viewers who are tuned in through

the entire process and I'm talking about drinking the laxative preparations, talking about

the number of frequent bathroom trips and she even took commercial breaks for them,

and then went ahead and had the procedure done live on TV with the doctor who got to do it,

providing step-by-step commentary and even in the end of the procedure she wakes up and simply just says it didn't really hurt.

Now America experienced a 20% increase in colon cancer screening following that effect and

that's why it's called the Kiddy Kirk effect.

A lot of public health researchers actually say that this has been helping.

Two decades later, we still have conditions that are coming up in the news and a lot of people

who have to learn about them.

Take for example, Justin Bieber.

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