Alexis Ohanian married Serena Williams in 2017, the same year they welcomed their daughter Olympia. Last year, Serena and Alexis welcomed their second daughter, Adira Ohanian. Just last week, Alexis and Olympia were out at the ESPYs to support Serena’s hosting duties. That family appearance actually came amid some “rumors” that there were issues between Serena and Alexis. I think people sort of fundamentally misunderstand Serena and Alexis’s whole deal. He’s really happy for Serena to have the limelight and he’s happy to be in the background. As it also turns out, Alexis only recently discovered that he has lyme disease too. He announced it on his social media this week:
Alexis Ohanian — husband of Serena Williams — has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. On July 16, the tech executive and father of two, 41, shared the health update on X — formerly Twitter — after getting full-body scans.
“Doing a full battery of health scans, tests, etc, and found out I have lyme disease,” he wrote. “Wild. No symptoms, thankfully, but gonna treat. Good cholesterol is too low. Bad cholesterol is just OK. Gotta work on that. On the plus-side: 822 ng/dL total + 162 ng/dL free testosterone.”
“I’ve got a loved one who had it a few years back, showed tons [of] symptoms etc and just couldn’t figure it out until they tested him for it and then found it (treated it successfully, too),” he added.
Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating infection caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick, according to the CDC. Early stage Lyme symptoms include headaches, flu-like symptoms, joint pain, fatigue and sometimes a rash that has many different shapes including one which may look like a bullseye centered on the tick bite. Late stage Lyme symptoms can include paralysis, agonizing joint pain, neurological problems, severe headaches, problems with memory, hearing, and vision, inflammation of the brain, and inflammation of the heart.
“I spend so little time in the wilderness/northeast this was quite a surprise,” Ohanian said. “Anyway, gonna grab some antibiotics — can’t keep me down, tick!”
After sharing he has Lyme disease, Ohanian received tons of well wishes on the social media platform. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease every year.
While he doesn’t spend time in the “wilderness,” ticks are everywhere and Serena and Alexis have family pets, plus that man is trying to make Serena into some kind of farm girl with lots of animals on their property. I’m just saying… I can see where he probably picked up a tick bite. It’s crazy to me that there’s this huge rise in identifying lyme disease and such a wide disparity in symptoms too. Some people are like Alexis and they feel next to no symptoms and other people are basically battling a severe chronic illness for years, if not decades. Anyway, I hope Alexis is doing well and Serena and the girls better get checked too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
-
- LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 06: Alexis Ohanian (L) and Serena Williams arrive at the 10th Annual LACMA ART+FILM GALA Presented By GucciLos Angeles County Museum of Art on November 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 642069539, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: JFY1, Model Release: no, Pictured: Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Credit line: Joe Sutter / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 14: Olympia Ohanian Jr., Alexis Ohanian attends the 2021 AFI Fest Closing Night Premiere of Warner Bros. “King Richard” at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 14, 2021 in Hollywood, California. ; ‘,Image: 643382712, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: JFY1, Model Release: no, Pictured: Olympia Ohanian Jr., Alexis Ohanian, Credit line: Joe Sutter / Avalon
-
- Hollywood, CA – The 2024 ESPY Awards at The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Pictured: Serena Williams, Olympia, Alexis Ohanian BACKGRID USA 11 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Juan Rico / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- 2023 Met Gala – Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – Arrivals. Featuring: Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams Where: New York, New York, United States When: 01 May 2023 Credit: Jennifer Graylock/INSTARimages
-
- Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF watched by A List celebrities makes his debut today where he went on to score the winning goal in a League Cup match against against Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium. Featuring: Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian Where: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States When: 21 Jul 2023 Credit: Robert Bell/INSTARimages
-
- Celebrities attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California Featuring: Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian, and Olympia Ohanian Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 11 Jul 2024 Credit: Media Punch/INSTARimages
There are some interesting studies being done around vaccines for lime disease, including one currently about half way through with human trials. Hopefully there’s a preventative vaccine soon.
I applied to be in a phase 3 efficacy trial last year, but I was rejected because I do not spend enough time in nature. However, I referred a couple of friends who do have a more high risk for ticks lifestyle, and they got in the study.
Every time I see news about that I feel such hope! I had it a few years ago, pretty badly. I was sick for a full year with 3 rounds of antibiotics. I had nerve damage, dizziness, joint pain, headaches, flu like symptoms, mild fever, and joint pain. I still have a few lingering things years later, and it messed up my immune system good for a while after too. It is very serious, I have major paranoia about getting it again, and a vaccine possibility would be a godsend.
I never saw the tick, never saw a bullseye, had no idea I was ever bitten. It took a while to get it figured out, and as sick as I was, it still only partially showed up on tests.
I’m shocked this guy got a positive test with no symptoms, he’s incredibly lucky.
He just seems so loving and so supportive. I don’t know how rumors like that can exist; I haven’t seen anything other than a loving happy couple. Here’s wishing Alex a speedy recovery.
I found a tick embedded in my daughter’s hand this past weekend and she was playing in the backyard! She took the preventative antibiotic and I hope she doesn’t get any additional symptoms. If she does we will put her on the antibiotic treatment right away. Lyme is no joke for a lot of people! My shock was how small the tick was, maybe the size of the poppy seed! Tick checks every night, friends!!
While Lyme disease is a real and serious condition, it is also often falsely diagnosed by numerous quacks (see for example Yolanda Hadid pseudoscientific struggle with nonexistent chronic Lyme which supposedly is antibiotic resistant).
I first heard about Lyme Disease when tennis player/Serena opponent Sam Stosur reported having it and it derailed her career for a while, like she didn’t have energy to pick up a racquet for ages. Then a friend of mine got it and she had bouts where it was quite debilitating but when she went home to Australia she found they didn’t have it as a recognized disease, at least not one that causes debilitating symptoms (despite Stosur being an Aussie too). I hope that’s changed.
All this to say when my daughter came back from a school outdoors camp in IL and developed bullseye type markings on her back, I got her to the doctor right away and she got some antibiotics. Dr was happy I knew what it was, apparently if left too long it can make treatment more complicated. So AO is lucky that’s all he needs.
My husband recently caught Lyme for the first (and hopefully last) time. He caught in in our own yard. 0/10 do not recommend. I’ve never seen him that sick.
Saturate yourself with DEET when you’re outside and check for ticks every night before bed! Ticks need to be attached for more than 24 hours to pass Lyme disease to humans, so stay vigilant. Also, the bullseye rash is a clear diagnostic sign, but the LACK of a rash DOESN’T mean that it ISN’T Lyme. A third of cases don’t develop a rash.
The best way to avoid post treatment Lyme disease syndrome (aka “chronic Lyme disease”) is to treat it early with antibiotics and finish the whole course. It causes long-term symptoms for roughly one in ten patients. It’s a little bit like malaria, where if you don’t completely clear the infection early, then it can become a lifelong issue. It also seems to be one of those infections that can set off auto-immune dysfunction and chronic fatigue/ME/fibromyalgia-like long-term struggles.
my daugher (age 9) has PANS/PANDAS caused by strep and Lyme disease. she basically turned psychotic overnight at age 2 and we were terrified. it took three and a half years to get diagnoses and treatment and she’s relapsed recently. Lyme (and pandas generally) is a horrible disease and I hope anyone reading this keeps an eye out- especially in kids. they do not just turn up one day with OCD, tics, intrusive thoughts, fevers, rages, urination regression unless there’s something wrong in their body and these sorts of infections are woefully under diagnosed and often the cause of things that we think of mental health.