Lee Bong-ju reveals his recovery after fighting an incurable disease

Former marathoner Lee Bong-ju, who suffered from an incurable disease called dystonia, shared his recent recovery to health.

On MBN's 'Altoran' on the 17th, Lee Bong-ju reported on her current situation. Lee Bong-ju straightened her back, which had been bent for so long, and said, “I’m sure everyone was surprised. “It’s improved so much now that I can walk without a cane,” he said.

Previously, Lee Bong-ju suffered from unexplained pain since 2020 and was diagnosed with an incurable disease called dystonia. Since then, he has been unable to straighten his back properly and has been living in a hunched posture.

Regarding that time, Lee Bong-ju said, “I suddenly got injured while filming an entertainment program,” and “I didn’t know the cause of the illness. “I didn’t even know why it hurt,” he explained. He added, "My stomach became hard and stiffened. My body bent against my will. It got worse and worse without knowing the cause."

I visited famous hospitals and oriental medicine clinics, but they said there was no cure. Lee Bong-ju, who said, “At least I visited a fortune teller,” confessed that the exact cause of the disease was not known.

Then, at a hospital, I learned the disease name ‘dystonia.’ Dystonia is a disease in which muscles move independently of their will due to a problem with the command system transmitted from the cranial nerves to the muscles.

Lee Bong-ju said, “While doing other tests, I discovered a cyst on my spine. I was told that there was a 70-80% chance of improvement if the cyst was removed, so I underwent surgery that lasted over 6 hours.”

He continued, “My wife suffered a lot. “I couldn’t even drive, so my wife took care of everything from beginning to end,” he said. “During the COVID-19 period, I started getting sick, and every time I wanted to give up, my wife said, ‘Let’s show you how to run when COVID-19 is over.’ “You have been my hands and feet until now,” he said, expressing his gratitude.

Lee Bong-ju is a legendary marathoner who holds records such as a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a gold medal at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, a winner at the 2001 Boston Marathon, and a gold medal at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia reporter haesmik@tenasia.co.kr