Getting candid.
Bachelor Nation first got to know Leslie Fhima and Joan Vassos on the inaugural season of “The Golden Bachelor.” Since their time on the show, Joan became the first Golden Bachelorette and got engaged to fiancé Chock Chapple.
Both women have continued to keep fans updated on their lives online, and recently, they took to social media to open up about their osteoporosis diagnoses.
A few weeks ago, Leslie shared a video discussing her current bone health and why it’s been difficult to process.
“I can’t believe it, but I am here to tell you that I have full-blown osteoporosis,” she said. “I’ve had it for a while and I get these Prolia shots twice a year and I’ve taken calcium. And then my numbers were actually going in the right direction. I had another DEXA scan a couple weeks ago, and now it’s bad again.”
She continued, “I don’t know why—I can’t figure it out. Maybe it’s hereditary, I don’t know… All I know is that I’m in full-blown osteoporosis. I do everything right. I swim, I do Pilates daily, I walk, I snowboard, I surf, I hike—I do everything. But there’s one thing I don’t do: I don’t lift heavy weights.”
Leslie shared that she plans to start incorporating weightlifting into her routine and asked for advice from others with similar experiences.
“I’m going to start because it’s the only thing I don’t do that might make a difference. I think it will make a difference,” she said. “So those of you out there that have osteoporosis, tell me what you do.”
Fans filled the comments with love and encouragement, and Joan later revealed in a new video that Leslie’s post inspired her to check her own bone health.
“I had a bone scan about a year ago, and a doctor told me that my bone density is getting to a bad level,” Joan said. “I’m not in full-blown osteoporosis, but I have something called osteopenia—and I need to be doing something about it. That is, apparently, weight training.”
“I haven’t done much about it, and now I’m getting kind of worried,” she admitted. “I’m wondering if any of you out there have thoughts on that. Do you have a bone density that is decreasing as you get older? Are you worried about it? What are you doing? I need help—I need recommendations. Please, I don’t want it to be going and spending 3 hours every day in a gym. But I guess for bone health, I would do whatever I need to do. I’d love some advice.”
We’re sending our love to both Leslie and Joan and appreciate their openness on this topic. We know them sharing their stories will help so many others.