Famous Thyroid Patients
President George Bush, and First Lady Barbara Bush were both sufferers of hyperthyroidism. The unusual occurrence of thyroid disease in the First Couple prompted an investigation into the water supply at the vice-presidential mansion. Even their dog Millie was diagnosed with thyroid problems! No cause was ever found, and it was apparently just a statistical anomaly.
Rod Stewart - Rock/Pop Star, singer, writer and producer. During an annual physical doctors discovered a nodule in his thyroid. Surgery on May 12, 2000 removed the nodule, and it was found not to be malignant.
Tipper Gore - Wife of Vice President Al Gore. Became the third resident of the Blair House (the vice-president's residence) to suffer from thyroid problems. Tipper's recent surgery to have her thyroid gland removed because of a nodule has raised awareness of the thyroid in general and thyroid nodules in particular.
Gail Devers - Olympic Gold Medal Winner. Her courageous battle to overcome thyroid disease is portrayed in "Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story", an original movie of her battle to overcome thyroid disease and win an Olympic Gold Medal. This movie was made by Showtime, and runs occasionally on television.
Faith Ford - plays Corky on "Murphy Brown". She was diagnosed with hyperthyroid after suffering an episode of heart palpitations and breathlessness on the set. She experienced a classic symptom of Grave's disease, and told Ladie's Home Journal, " I felt like I had sand in my eyes." She also lost a considerable amount of weight and two dress sizes, but like so many mistaken women, she felt this was not a problem.
Muhammed Ali - "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" is this World Champion heavy weight boxer's motto. It could just as easily be the thyroid's motto as well, as any sufferer of thyroid disease can attest. Muhammed Ali lost a championship fight after being mistreated for thyroid disease.
Carl Lewis - Olympic Gold Medal Winner. Five months before the 1996 Olympics, Carl was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. He was successfully treated and able to compete.
Ben Crenshaw - World class golfer.
Pat Bradley - Top player in the Ladies Professional Golfers Association.
Patty Berg - Winner of the first Women's National Open Golf Tournament in 1946 and member of the LPGA Hall of fame.
Joe Piscopo - Actor, producer, writer, singer, and comedian.
Charles Marion Russell - ( 1864-1926 ), cowboy artist, had a large goiter that choked him, and squeezed is air pipe, and gave him dizzy spells. He was unable to sleep, or work, and finally went to May Clinic. World famous thyroid surgeon, William Plummer, removed the goiter. Unfortunately, for him during the pre-op evaluation, they found severe Emphysema, and associated heart failure, and coronary disease. He died in 1926, not long after the thyroid surgery. C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls Montana, has many of his art pieces. The best photo of him on the Museum web site shows him in a suit, but due to his massive goiter he could no button the shirt all the way, or put the tie on tight. See
www.cmrussell.org/meet.html. for his biography and photograph.