When my husband offered me the gift of his kidney, I knew that the universe was taking care of me.
My life is a constant quest for enlightenment.Ĭan you describe a moment when you felt sure you’d regain your health? We should pay equal attention to developing our minds and our bodies. Chanting “ Nam-myoho- renge-kyo” always makes me feel better and helps me to think more clearly. When I first started practicing Buddhism, I learned that inner peace leads to strength and contentment in every aspect of life. I came close to death before I became educated about my kidneys and everything else that was happening to me.Īs a result of everything that you experienced in your life, what did you learn about the connection between your mind and body? Unfortunately, that information was hard-won. But I never understood the potential consequences until it was too late. I knew I had high blood pressure because it ran in my family. I think most people are uninformed about their bodies until they have a medical crisis.
I didn’t ask many questions because I didn’t know what questions to ask. When I was younger, I thought that I would live forever. Is your outlook on health and wellness different now that you’re older? Recently, the star spoke to Real Health about her changing perspective on life through the years. She chants regularly, a Buddhist practice that allows Turner to tap into her spirituality and helps her negotiate challenging situations. Turner converted to Buddhism in 1973 and credits the religion with guiding her through the hardest times in her life.
Six months later, Turner sat in the audience at the official opening of the show, titled Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, in London and was moved when theatergoers applauded her.Īfter watching her life story unfold onstage, Turner, reflecting on her life experiences, recalled the Buddhist expression “It is possible to turn poison into medicine.” There, she performed with Adrienne Warren, the actress chosen for the role. He had introduced her to people who wanted to turn her life into a musical on the stage and also interested her in doing a second memoir and a documentary.ĭespite having to continue treatments to control the aftereffects of the transplant, Turner attended the press event that launched the musical. But, ultimately, she collaborated with the show’s producers and even participated in the search for an actress to play her.īach kept Turner busy and motivated her to stay active. At first, she was reluctant to work on the project. Nevertheless, Turner helped develop a musical based on her life. Toward the end of that year, she felt a little more energetic but was still far from being fully recovered.Ĭourtesy of Looping Sudios from Tina Turner’s personal collection Afterward, Turner needed drug treatments to stop her body from rejecting the new kidney. A colonoscopy showed that she was cancer-free, so Turner underwent a kidney transplant. But what if something happened to him? What if he had a problem with his kidney someday?”īach remained steadfast, however, and Turner accepted his gift, daring to hope. “Why should he take such a risk to give me, an older woman, a few extra years? He knew he could survive with one kidney. But, as her best-selling memoir, My Love Story-published last year-details, Bach stepped up and donated a kidney to his wife.Īt first, Turner was reluctant. Then, her kidney problems worsened, and she signed up to be a member of an assisted-suicide program.
The treatment involved the removal of part of her intestines. In 2016, doctors diagnosed her with intestinal cancer. Turner suffered a stroke, followed by kidney failure and vertigo. Shortly after that her health problems began. Seventeen years later, in 2013, she married Bach, who by then had been her companion for nearly 30 years. At the time, the legendary entertainer was 57 and enjoying a hugely successful career as a rock star as well as a thriving relationship with her partner, Erwin Bach. More than 20 years ago, Tina Turner appeared on Larry King Live to promote her Wildest Dreams Tour, in support of her studio album of the same name.