Singer Missy Elliot Is Battling Grave's Disease

What's Grave's disease? Ask Missy Elliot. Her fans've been waiting six years for a new album and now they know why. 


Missy, the 39-year-old rapper, producer and songwriter announced that she's been suffering from the autoimmune thyroid disease (Grave's Disease) since 2008. The hitmaker found out that she had Grave's disease after experiencing tremors, a common symptom of the disease. 


Missy Elliot felt bad, because the illness had made even simple day-to-day tasks difficult for her. 
She almost crashed: "I was driving and trying to put my foot on the brake, but my leg was jumping. I couldn't keep the brake down and almost crashed," the rap star said.
Elliot said that her nervous system was so badly affected by the disease that she couldn't even write. "I couldn't write because my nervous system was so bad - I couldn't even use a pen."


Unfortunately, there is no cure for Graves' disease, but Missy has improved her condition through radiation treatments and exercise. "I'm 30 pounds lighter because I've been exercising," she said. "My thyroid is functioning, so I haven't had to take medication in about nine months. But you live with it for the rest of your life."


Despite her challenges, Missy also announced that she's working on new music with long-time friend and collaborator Timbaland. She’ll also be featured on VH1's  "Behind the Music" on June 29, further discussing her battle with Graves' disease, weight issues and being sexually molested as a child.


For more information about Grave's disease visit the "Grave's Disease Foundation" website.