Get Your Glass of Wine Ready for Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union bravely stepped forward this week to share an excerpt from her upcoming book “We’re Going To Need More Wine.” Telling a story that resonates with women overcoming challenges, obstacles and tragedy, Union’s journey toward womanhood is one of survival and self-love.
Just before her sophomore year at UCLA, Union was attacked and raped by a stranger at the local store where she worked. The devastation of being victimized was horrible enough, but learning to find the strength to go on was equally challenging. “I was the kid you bragged about,” she writes. “ I got great grades. Was the perfect athlete. Blah blah blah. And in that moment, I was damaged.”
Union, 44, has found happiness as stepmother to the two boys of NBA Star Dwayne Wade, but her efforts to give birth have been marred by a bout with infertility, a fact she also discusses in the book. “I have had eight or nine miscarriages,” Union writes. “For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle.”
The infinite rounds of IVF and associated apprehension of whether the the treatment will result in pregnancy is made even more challenging, she says, by the constant barrage of questions about whether she wants children. "For so many women, and not just women in the spotlight, people feel very entitled to know, ‘Do you want kids?'” she says. “A lot of people, especially people that have fertility issues, just say ‘no’ because that’s a lot easier than being honest about whatever is actually going on. People mean so well, but they have no idea the harm or frustration it can cause.”
Union remains committed to carving out the life for herself she envisions. An accomplished actress who made a name for herself in lead roles, including Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst and BET network's Being Mary Jane, Union’s determination to live her life fully is an inspiring story that should be told.
“We’re Going to Need More Wine” is due out October 17.
Sources: People Magazine, LA Times