Joanna Gaines’ Alarming Health Struggles Revealed

The basket toss is a well-known cheerleading maneuver, but it also poses certain dangers. This stunt requires several cheerleaders to launch one another into the air, which opens the door for potential injuries. Joanna Gaines experienced this first-hand when she suffered from painful herniated discs stemming from her basket toss mishap. “I’ve been living with it ever since,” she mentioned in a December 2022 Instagram post. At times, the discomfort became so severe that it necessitated two surgeries spaced around twenty years apart.

This social media update followed her recent surgery, accompanied by a photo taken from her hospital bed (featured above). The first surgery nearly jeopardized Joanna and Chip Gaines’ relationship before it had fully started. “I had my first [microdiscectomy] in 2001, which forced me to cancel my second date with Chip Carter Gaines,” she explained, referring to the minimally invasive treatment aimed at easing the pressure caused by herniated discs.

Fortunately, they rescheduled, despite Joanna initially considering not giving Chip a second chance due to reasons unrelated to her health. (She thought he talked a bit too much.) Still, she felt a connection and didn’t allow her back issues to interfere. Instead, it allowed her extra time to reflect. This was similar for her second surgery, which occurred just two weeks before Christmas, compelling Joanna to slow down. “It has been a blessing to simply relax, take in the beauty around me, and just pause,” she expressed.