Manganiello posts dragon tattoo covering scars and explains in 'Bloodlines'
Joe Manganiello just showed off a huge dragon tattoo on Instagram, stretching from his hip to above his knee.
It's not just for looks: the tattoo covers surgical scars and marks his long battle with a tough autoimmune disease.
In his memoir Bloodlines, he shares how the ink helps him feel like he's taking back control of his body.
Doctors never diagnosed Manganiello's condition
Manganiello went through years of severe pain, ulcers, fevers, and skin rashes that left him unable to walk.
Over the course of seven years, he lost weight and had multiple surgeries, including one that left him needing an ostomy bag, but doctors never figured out exactly what was wrong.
Now, the dragon serves as a reminder of his resilience; as Joe Manganiello put it, "take back what little agency I felt that I had, and to signal to my body to stop attacking the dragon... because the (eastern) dragon was me..." symbolizing strength through everything he faced.