Alexis Ohanian, the 41-year-old co-founder of Reddit and husband to tennis legend Serena Williams, has revealed his recent diagnosis of Lyme disease. The announcement came through a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday, where Ohanian shared his unexpected health update.
Ohanian, who is father to two children with Williams, expressed his surprise at the diagnosis, stating he had undergone various medical tests before discovering he had Lyme disease. “Doing a full battery of health scans, tests, etc, and found out I have Lyme disease,” Ohanian wrote, noting that he was asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis.
While discussing his health, Ohanian also mentioned other aspects of his well-being, including low good cholesterol and just okay bad cholesterol levels. He added a positive note about his testosterone levels, which were within a healthy range.
Despite having a family history of Lyme disease, Ohanian was taken aback by the diagnosis due to his limited exposure to typical environments where the disease is prevalent, such as the wilderness or the northeastern United States. He acknowledged a loved one had previously struggled with Lyme disease but was successfully treated.
To combat the disease, Ohanian indicated he would begin antibiotic treatment soon. He humorously added, “Can’t keep me down, tick!” alongside an image of The Tick cartoon character.
The Mayo Clinic describes Lyme disease as an illness caused by Borrelia bacteria, primarily transmitted through tick bites. It’s most common in the upper Midwest and the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states in the U.S., and also prevalent in Europe and parts of Canada. The CDC reports that around 476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease annually in the United States.
Ohanian joins a list of public figures who have battled Lyme disease, including Yolanda and Bella Hadid, Justin Bieber, and Amy Schumer.