ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A Newfoundland singer-songwriter is calling out critics of pop star Selena Gomez, saying she was right to cancel two concerts in Atlantic Canada for health reasons.
Jerry Stamp, who retired from music because of his own auto-immune disease, said he's not a particular fan of Gomez's music, but her battle with lupus has impressed him.
"It is at least equally as horrible as my own predicament, if not more," Stamp, who has psoriatic arthritis, said in a Facebook post.
"The fact she has made it this far without having to show weakness is actually incredible and really impressive. Hell, I had to quit my music career due to my disease. I had 20 years clocked in. It was all I ever wanted to do. Now I can't. This young woman has fought to keep hers going."
Gomez had been scheduled to play Paradise, N.L., on Saturday and Moncton, N.B., on Sunday. But on Tuesday, the Texas-born singer/actress cancelled those dates along with the remainder of her "Revival" world tour.
The former Disney Channel star told People magazine she suffers from lupus-related anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
"I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off," she told the magazine in a statement.
Stamp told The Canadian Press on Thursday that within minutes of her cancellation, he saw complaints on Facebook from people saying she should just "suck it up" and do the Paradise show.
"Normally I would just let stuff like this go away, but ... I felt it was unfair criticism from people who I would hope would be more understanding had they simply known more about it."
In his Facebook post, Stamp says his condition has left him with "many physical ailments, chronic pain, anxiety, panic attacks, mental and physical stress, as well as a heap of other fun mental and physical issues."
He notes auto-immune disorders aren't evident to observers, but the strains are always there.
"I have already heard of local folks calling her out for cancelling her local performance as if she for some reason owed them something. Trolls making jokes at her expense," he wrote.
"Leave the poor girl alone. Let her deal with her health. Maybe you'll get lucky and she'll come back again someday and you'll get to stand and pretend you really care then. Until then, don't just be another anonymous 'fan' who now doesn't have plans for the weekend."
The promoter of the two Atlantic dates, David Carver Music, said in a statement that it stands by Gomez's decision to put her health first.
It said it would announce plans for refunds on Tuesday.
WHAT IS LUPUS?
Lupus - officially termed Systemic Lupus Erythematotsus (SLE) - is a chronic autoimmune condition when the body makes antibodies that attack itself.
It is 10 times more common in women than in men, and typically develops between the ages of 12 and 25.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Some patients will have only mild problems such as aches and tiredness.
Others have life-threatening organ damage to the heart and the kidneys.
Most sufferers experience joint stiffness, most acutely in the mornings.
Hair loss is common, as is a butterfly-shaped rash across the face, and sensitivity to the sun.
Other problems include depression and lung and heart disease, as well as kidney inflammation.
It is often mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis (due to joint stiffness), a skin condition (due to the rash) or a blood disease (due to inflammation).
WHAT IS THE LINK WITH DEPRESSION?
It is incredibly common that people suffering from chronic and potentially life-threatening diseases develop depression.
This can stem from the stress of coping with their routine medication, physical ailments, unpredictable flare-ups, and the sense that it will never end.
Many steroid pills used the treat the condition also induce feelings of hopelessness, exhaustion, and clouded thoughts.
Studies have also shown people with severe lupus that damages their vital organs - brain, heart - have a higher risk of developing clinical depression.
