Bachelor Australia alum Megan Marx is battling a degenerative brain condition.
The 36-year-old was diagnosed in 2023 with Spinocerebellar ataxia, which targets coordination, as well as the spinal cord. The condition can also impact vision, speech and mobility. The disease is rare, and is only diagnosed in one to five people in every 100,000.
Currently, there is no cure. In an update on her condition, Megan says the degenerative disease has her “grieving” her “unlived life.”
The Bachelor Australia star Megan Marx has a degenerative brain condition
In an essay published in Mamamia, Megan writes: “There is a kind of grief that rarely earns a name. It is not the grief of death, nor even the grief that follows a diagnosis. It is the grief of the life we imagined we might live, and the slow recognition that it will not arrive.”
“The grief of what-if is often waved away,” she continues. “‘Be realistic,’ we’re told. ‘Accept what is.’ But denial carries its own risk.”
“Pretending nothing was lost binds us to shame,” she adds. “Do not let your grief be dismissed.”
Meanwhile, these days Megan is focusing on all the things she can still enjoy. She remains as active as possible by spending time outdoors, camping, windsurfing and walking her dog on the beach.
Someday Megan will no longer be able to walk, talk or swallow. Unfortunately, experimental therapies that could help her, such as stem cell treatments, are far beyond what she can afford. Though my first thought was crowdfunding, the avid windsurfer has ruled that option out, as “there are people whose need is far more immediate than mine.”
For those living with chronic illness, trauma, or persistent depression, Megan advises, “Do not bypass [your grief] for the comfort of others. Mourn what was lost, but remember what is still left of your life. In doing so, you clear space … for a life that is honest, inhabitable, and still your own.”
U.S. Bachelor Nation has suffered some losses over the years. Bachelor Season 21 contestant Hailey Merkt lost her battle with cancer in July 2024. Additionally, The Bachelorette Season 17’s Katie Thurston is currently fighting stage four breast cancer.
The Bachelor Australia is available on Disney+.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MEGAN’S OUTLOOK ON GRIEF?
