Lena Dunham says she wouldn’t be here without nurses in 37th birthday post

The writer and director credited the ‘wisdom, ferocity and impossible sacrifice of nurses everywhere’

Lena Dunham has thanked nurses and healthcare workers in her birthday post as she turned 37.

The Girls creator celebrated her birthday on Saturday (13 May) and wrote a heartfelt Instagram post paying tribute to nurses without whom she said she “wouldn’t be here”.

Dunham, who recently marked five years of sobriety, wrote: “Today – on my 37^th birthday – I salute you. I wouldn’t be here, basking in the pleasures of being alive, if not for the wisdom, ferocity and impossible sacrifice of nurses everywhere.

“Not all heroes wear capes – in fact, some wear clogs.”

She added in the caption: “Dear Nurses, THANK YOU. With Love, Lena.”

Dunham also tagged three people and nominated them to “write and share your own #DearNurses letter of appreciation”.

In April, the writer and director reflected on her journey to sobriety and how checking into a 28-day rehab programme helped her overcome her addiction to prescription pills.

She wrote in a post that her addiction came from a desire to gain “ease”, adding: “Ease in my body, ease in my restless mind and the ease to exist in moments of pain, anxiety and uncertainty without reaching for a solution that seemed to help in the moment but pulled me further away from the people I love and the life I wanted.”

Dunham continued: “The last five years have been the happiest of my time on earth so far (at least this time around!) They’ve been full of work, love, complexity, and – yes – pain. But facing all of that without medicating myself in unhealthy ways has given me a sturdy baseline and new tools.

“Five years ago, all of this was impossible to imagine. Five days was impossible to imagine. Five minutes sometimes felt hard.”

Dunham was first prescribed the drug Klonopin at the age of 12 to deal with pain from endometriosis. The drug is a type of sedative medication that slows down the body and brain’s functions and can be used to help with anxiety and insomnia.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter last year, Dunham said: “I’ve been through a lot of hard things in my adulthood. Getting off Klonopin was probably the hardest.”

In 2018, she had a hysterectomy to relieve the pain of endometriosis and entered the rehab programme and has been sober since.

If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.

In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.