Laura Dundovic has revealed the difficult process she is going through to treat her rare genetic disease.
The 36-year-old model and former Miss Universe Australia winner suffers from hemochromatosis, a genetic condition in which the body absorbs too much iron from food.
In a post on Instagram, Laura gave fans an inside look at the process of having blood drawn to lower her iron levels, a treatment called phlebotomy.
“Two liters today. Just had my fourth and hopefully last month of bloodletting before I can start donating every three months,” she wrote.
‘I will get the results next week, then I will keep you informed.’
She added: ‘For those who are new to this, I have a genetic disorder called hemochromatosis. It causes my body to store too much iron. I need to do this to get my iron levels back up.’
Dundovic, who also starred in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, previously said she was relieved her health was finally under control after years of struggling with the disorder.
“I’m finally starting to understand my body and I’ve been feeling really good these past few months,” she said.
Laura Dundovic (pictured) has revealed the difficult process she is undergoing to treat her rare genetic disease
“It’s been two years of confusion and then a year of work, because it takes a while to find what’s wrong. For two years it was just symptoms that no one can really group together, but in the last year there’s been real progress.”
She undergoes the treatment every few months to get rid of the excess iron.
To better manage her, she has recently been undergoing monthly bloodlettings, during which 500 ml of blood is drained from her body.
“I’ve had it since I was 16, I store too much iron. It builds up in your organs and your body goes into iron overload,” she said The Daily Telegraph.
Laura previously explained why 2023 was the worst year of her life.
The model and former Miss Universe Australia winner, 36, has hemochromatosis – a genetic condition in which the body absorbs too much iron from food
She said Sunday Confidential She has struggled with various health issues over the past 12 months and even discovered that she has a genetic disorder.
“Earlier this year I fell in Bali and it took me eight weeks to heal that injury. Then it healed and I broke my toe,” she told the publication.
The situation became even worse when Laura was training for a marathon and tripped on the sidewalk.
‘It turned out I had a broken ankle. That ended up being a three-month recovery.’
Laura, who also had a car accident when her car was hit by a bus, was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that can affect the thyroid gland.
Now that 2023 is behind us, Laura is optimistic about what 2024 will bring.
“Two liters today. I just had my fourth and hopefully last month of bloodletting before I can start donating every three months,” she wrote
“I’m really going to take care of myself. I’m a perfectionist, so I really want to make sure that my priority is my mental health and that I take care of that,” she said.
She also told the publication that she hopes to find the love of her life in 2024, following her shocking split from soccer star Quade Cooper in 2020.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the couple dated for five years before splitting. They were in an on-again, off-again relationship for months before calling it quits.
Since rising to fame in the pageant world, Laura has maintained her position in the public eye by appearing on television shows such as I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Dating In The Dark.
She is also a successful influencer and is known as one of Sydney’s most glamorous socialites.