Sunshine Cruz reveals she was diagnosed with autoimmune disease

Sunshine Cruz opened up about her battle with an autoimmune disease after her runway stint at Bench Body of Work 2025. 

On Instagram, the 47-year-old revealed that she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, which she said has made building her muscles "a real struggle."

"It's been a real rollercoaster these past months. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis, which has made building muscle a real struggle. But I'm so thankful for the strength I've found," she said, thanking her trainer Rea Marie Ruff a.k.a. Coach Iya. 

Cruz then talked about the Bench fashion show held last week at SM Mall of Asia Arena, where she turned heads in a red two-piece outfit.

"Walking for Bench was a powerful reminder of what's possible even when things are tough," she continued. 

In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Coach Iya shared how Cruz has been keeping her health and fitness goals in check amid her health condition.

"It broke her when she found out [about her diagnosis] but still you see her determination," her fitness coach said. "The good thing is we were able to have a foundation already since she started strength training with me last year. So now, she was so determined to push herself more."

"We increased weights already. I also advised her to load on her protein. She is having a healthier approach on her diet now, which means she eats more than she used to," she added.

Coach Iya also shared that she works out four to five times a week with Cruz for two hours. "There are times when we work out together so she feels supported whenever she is demotivated." 

According to Mayo Clinic, myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that "causes muscles under your voluntary control to feel weak and get tired quickly." This disease can affect people of any age, but it's more common in women younger than 40 and men older than 60.