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Carrie Ann Inaba, longtime judge on Dancing With the Stars, is opening up about her journey with Sjögren’s disease, a chronic autoimmune condition she was diagnosed with in 2013.
Inaba, 58, shared her experience in a recent feature on Good Morning America, where she candidly discussed the challenges she faced living with symptoms like dry eyes, chronic pain, and fatigue-symptoms she struggled with for years before receiving a diagnosis.
“For a long time, I’d tell people I was fine when I wasn’t,” Inaba said in a video for the SJÖUT for Sjögren’s awareness campaign. “I felt alone.”
But she emphasized how everything changed once she began speaking out: “When I started speaking up, everything changed. I found a community and that’s where I learned how to actually live with Sjögren’s.”
The dancer and choreographer highlighted the importance of finding support, which helped her feel heard and empowered to take control of both her health and her personal narrative. Now, she is collaborating with pharmaceutical company Novartis on the SJÖUT for Sjögren’s campaign to encourage others living with the disease to share openly about how it affects their lives.
“When we show up and shout, when we speak up, advocate for ourselves and refuse to be ignored, we get heard,” Inaba said. “We take control of our health and our story.”
Sjögren’s disease causes the immune system to attack moisture-producing glands, leading to symptoms such as dry eyes and mouth, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, dry skin, and rashes. It is estimated that up to 4 million people in the United States may be affected.
Inaba’s campaign underscores the importance of recognizing the connections between various symptoms and communicating the full impact of the disease to healthcare providers-a vital step that can sometimes be overlooked due to the wide range of symptoms.
Having previously spoken publicly about her health challenges and the significance of self-advocacy, Inaba now places special emphasis on the power of honesty about her condition. “I felt supported and heard,” she reflected, “and I was able to take control of my health and my story.”