Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo finds himself in the hospital once again as he continues to treat a rare genetic disorder.
“Surgery number 4,” he wrote on his Instagram page on Wednesday (Jan. 29) alongside a picture of himself sitting up in a hospital bed. “This is a big one! To learn more about Cleidocranial Dysplasia and how you can help those with the condition you can go to ccdsmiles.org.”
According to National Institutes of Health (NIH), Cleidocranial Dysplasia is a condition that primarily affects the development of the bones and teeth. In fact, the actor’s real life struggle with the disease has in fact been written into certain aspects of his character on the show.
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Just a couple weeks earlier, Matarazzo, who plays the role of Dustin Henderson on the addictive show, looked happy and healthy at the Screen Actor Guild Awards, where he commented on the upcoming season of Stranger Things.
“I haven’t ready any of it for the soul purpose that I’ll probably spoil something,” the 17-year-old said in an interview shared on his Twitter page. “I don’t want to read it until we do the table read.”
To avoid revealing any spoilers, @GatenM123 says he hasn’t read the #StrangerThings season 4 scripts yet. 😂 #SAGawards pic.twitter.com/cZ4Sr3Kyw5
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 20, 2020
The young actor took to Instagram to share an update on his surgery.
“Though my expression in this picture may not show it, the surgery was a complete success😂,” he wrote alongside a post-surgery photo. “This was such A big one, it may be the last one I need. Hopefully at least.”
He then went on to bring awareness to his condition. “Those who suffer from Cleidocranial Dysplasia usually have Supernumerary teeth, which are extra teeth that grow in the gums. I’ve had several surgeries to extract these teeth from within my gums and help expose the teeth that should have already grown in considering my age. In this surgery, the team of amazing medical professionals extracted 14 supernumerary teeth and exposed six of my adult teeth. I was under for four hours. My recovery for the past few days has been great and I can’t thank the team that did the surgery enough. Thank you all for your kind wishes and prayers. It means a lot.
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And to learn more, Gaten directed fans and supporters to their website. “Again, if you’d like to learn more about Cleidocranial Dysplasia, you can go to ccdsmiles.org. Thanks again everyone”
Here’s to hoping Matarazzo is feeling better and back to doing what he does best!
