Sheryl Lee Ralph LOVES Abbott Elementary Star Quinta Brunson

For a play of time, Tyler James Williams was connected the brink of death.

The Abbott Elementary star opened up astir his harrowing conflict with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel upset helium didn't cognize helium had until 2017. In an interrogation with Men's Health, Williams recalled however helium struggled with gaining muscle anterior to the diagnosis owed to excruciating tummy symptom that made it hard to support nutrient down.

"I was truly pushing my assemblage to the limit," shared Williams, who was besides engaged juggling roles connected Criminal Minds and Detroit at the time. "By the clip December hit, it conscionable crashed. Everything unopen down."

When Williams sought attraction from a gastroenterologist, an X-ray showed that his bowels were severely inflamed and clogged with scar insubstantial from a Crohn's illness flare-up. The harm forced Williams to acquisition exigency surgery to region six inches of little intestine.

However, arsenic Williams noted, his intestines were excessively anemic to heal and yet perforated amid his recovery, resulting successful him going septic and being rushed backmost into surgery. "The past thought I had was, 'Holy s--t, this could beryllium it,'" helium remembered saying to himself. "'If this is it, I'm not happy. I worked a lot. I did a batch of things. I didn't bask immoderate of this. This can't beryllium it.'"

"The important happening for me, and those similar me, to retrieve is that longevity is simply a large portion of the game," Williams said, adding that helium and his member Tyrel—who besides suffered a Crohn's flare-up successful 2020—are present much focused connected their health. "If you can't [stay strong] and beryllium healthy, determination truly is nary point."

In addition, the wellness scare has shifted Williams' vocation goals to spell for "purpose-driven" roles like Abbott Elementary's Gregory Eddie, who helium described arsenic idiosyncratic who "wants to beryllium successful this presumption of powerfulness 'cause helium feels similar that's what helium needs to beryllium successful, but past finds retired that that's not his life."

He added of however the quality parallels his ain idiosyncratic struggles, "I was like, ‘That sounds similar the precise travel I had to travel to.'"