Steve Irwin’s daughter, Bindi Irwin, was rushed to the emergency room and required to undergo surgery.
Bindi’s brother, Robert Irwin, shared that his older sister was forced to miss their late dad’s annual gala this year because her appendix ruptured.
“She’s going to be OK, but surgery — out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them,” Robert told People Saturday.
“She’s just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes. Health is so important — it really is,” the Animal Planet star said.
“Bindi has become an incredible advocate for women’s health, particularly, and I think it’s really important to prioritize getting help.”
Robert, 21, also revealed that their mom, Terri Irwin, would miss the gala to help Bindi, 26, during her recovery.
In March 2023, Bindi revealed that she had to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with endometriosis.
“Dear Friends, I battled for a long time wondering if I should share this journey with you in such a public space. It came down to the responsibility I feel to share my story for other women who need help,” she captioned a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed at the time.
“For 10yrs I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea. Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc.”
Bindi, who shares daughter Grace, 4, with husband Chandler Powell, explained that a doctor at one point told her that her issues were simply something she would “deal with” as a woman.
She revealed doctors found 37 lesions, some of which were “very deep and difficult to remove,” along with a chocolate cyst.
The following year, Bindi exclusively told Page Six that she revealed her “scary” diagnosis to shine a light on an often misdiagnosed illness that affects approximately one in 10 women worldwide.
“It’s ignored in so many ways and so many women and girls are living in unbelievable pain,” the zookeeper told us.
“It’s so important to me to be able to share my journey so maybe it will inspire other people and maybe help them with the opportunity to stand up and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t normal and I deserve to get help. I deserve to feel good.’”
Bindi and Robert are the kids of Steve, who died in September 2006 after he was pierced in the chest by a short-tail stingray barb while filming a television show. He was 44.