Buzz Aldrin Illness And Health 2023: Mental Health Issues

Buzz Aldrin Illness made him difficult to find any motivation to resume duties.

Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., popularly known as Buzz Aldrin, is an American astronaut born on the 20th of January, 1930. He was the second person to have his foot on the moon.

A US Military Academy, West Point, New York (1951) graduate, Aldrin became an air force pilot.

Initially, NASA rejected Aldrin because he was not a test pilot. However, applicants with over 1000 hours of jet aircraft flying time were eligible in the subsequent year.

With over twice that time, the former jet fighter pilot was more than eligible and hence got selected.

On the 16th of July, 1969, Apollo 11 crewed Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins and were launched to the moon.

Buzz Aldrin Illness And Health 2023

In August 1975, Aldrin got into an alcohol rehabilitation center where his then-girlfriend, Beverly, pushed him.

He stayed there for 28 days. The days he spent there were enough to realize the extent of his problems but still was not enough to put in on a stable path of recovery.

In the same subsequent year, he got into an alcohol rehabilitation center, Aldrin and Beverly tied the knot. But the marriage ended with a divorce by the end of 1976.

Later in 1978, he left drinking and has stayed sober since then. 

Speaking about this challenging time in his life and why he felt it happened, Aldrin shared: ‘I inherited tendencies in different directions (depression and an addictive personality), and those directions, if you feed them with a life of perfection and discipline and then remove that all of a sudden, it’s probably going to go back to some of the more deep-seated concerns about self-worth and achievement.’

Today, Aldrin is 93 years old and happily married to his long-time love, Dr. Anca V Faur.

Buzz Aldrin and partner Dr. Anca V Faur
Buzz Aldrin and partner Dr. Anca V Faur during their marriage ceremony. (Source: infotel.ca)

On Aldrin’s 93rd birthday, Buzz and Anca married in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles.

Sharing their marriage ceremony moments, Aldrin said they were as excited as eloping teenagers.

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Buzz Aldrin Mental Health Issues

Buzz Aldrin’s accomplishment of Apollo 11 and being the second person to have his foot on the moon is still considered one of the most notable moments in human history.

However, this moment also made it difficult for Buzz to realign his life on Earth, which came with the consequences attached.

The astronaut’s mother’s demise is another tragic incident that would have affected anyone. His mother, Marion Moon, killed herself soon after Buzz completed his lunar mission.

She did so as she thought she couldn’t handle her son’s potential fame.

That eventually led to his mental and physical health disorders. Many other things contributed as an aid in hampering his mental health.

After completing the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz’s marriage of 21 years ended. This thing shattered him.

A lot of things took a toll on his mental health. Aldrin then suffered from depression and alcoholism. However, he was able to overcome the issues.

His depression and alcoholism might also be why he could not find motivation towards something following his historic achievement.

Aldrin says, ‘I wanted to resume my duties, but there were no duties to resume. There was no goal, sense of calling, or project worth pouring myself into.’

Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin during an interview. (Source: telegraph.co.uk)

Despite having so much fame and being one of the few people in history to have their step on the moon, he couldn’t handle it well. It was all because he wasn’t well mentally.

We can all have a sense of understanding about how important our mental health is. Nothing else comes before that.

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