Marisol Maldonado Is Rob Thomas's Long-Time Wife: Facts about Her

Marisol Maldonado was never sure she wanted to be the wife of a rock star but has been married to the Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rob Thomas, for over 21 years.

After an MRI in July 2015, the doctors found a lesion at the base bone of Marisol Maldonado's brain. She eventually went for surgery in September to remove the lesion.

Following the surgery, Marisol Maldonado was diagnosed with several diseases, which made her husband realize that he was thankful for their shared life.

Maldonado is a retired model who has battled a lot of health issues. She was diagnosed with multiple tick-borne infections following her operation, including Neurologic Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, and Bartonella.

These infections are believed to have caused her Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disorder, Lupus-like symptoms, and a form of Trigeminal Neuralgia known as Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia.

The Matchbox 20 singer later revealed that Maldonado was doing as best as she could. Thomas said:

"It's a lifelong thing that she's kind of [dealing with]. We're in the mode of trying to control things more than try and cure them."

After her surgery, while speaking in an interview, the singer stated that for him and Maldonado, there was no secret to their long-lasting marriage. He loves his wife, and they are friends.

Beyond being friends, she is his best friend and the one he loves to spend most of his time with because he does not feel like anything is happening if she is unaware of what is happening.

Facts about Marisol Maldonado

Maldonado is of Puerto Rican and Spanish ancestry and worked as a model in New York. She met Thomas in the late 1990s at an afterparty in Montreal, and they both fell in love.

However, because he was on the road, their courtship happened over the phone before they went on their first date at a music festival in Boston.

Shortly after their first date, the songwriter proposed to her, and she said yes. Even though he was not looking for a relationship, he knew he would never kiss another person again after their first kiss.

For Thomas, he met Maldonado at the right time as she has helped shape many decisions he has made, including some of the best songs he has ever written.

The former model helps her husband run his career along with his manager. She is also the first to hear anything her husband writes and picks the singles.

Despite the good times, the couple also had their share of trying times in the early days of their relationship. Maldonado was in college and was not sure she wanted to date Thomas because he was always on the road.

At the same time, the singer had just welcomed a son from a previous relationship, and a lot was happening to him. So, he wrote her a song, "If You're Gone," when she wanted to quit the relationship.

Marisol Maldonado's Health Troubles

Maldonado has been suffering from a debilitating disease which her husband said changed his perspective on life. In an interview to promote Global Lyme Alliance's 3rd Annual New York Gala, Thomas said:

"It's crazy how normal something abnormal can become."

Since she started suffering from tick-borne diseases, Maldonado became an advocate for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Her husband, who has constantly supported her, said it felt like an alien moved into their life and settled in his wife.

While Maldonado and Thomas coped with her health battles, she visited various specialists, but they could not accurately diagnose the problem and give her the proper treatment.

She showed symptoms of autoimmune disease, but no doctor was sure which it could have been. At one point, they told her that she had Multiple Sclerosis, another time, they said it was Lupus.

After lying in a hospital for days, Maldonado believed she had pancreatic cancer. One specialist explored the possibility that the former model may have had Lyme, but the standard diagnostic test was wrong more than half the time.

It was not until 2015 that the doctors diagnosed her with eight tick-borne diseases after her brain surgery. These diseases have different symptoms and require various treatments and doctors.

Despite being aware of her exact diagnosis, the former model revealed that her battles had only begun. She was diagnosed late, and there is no cure for Lyme when found late. Also, having multiple infections made it harder to manage.

The doctors must constantly tweak Maldonado's treatment according to which infection shows its symptoms the most. Dealing with these symptoms daily has been a difficult struggle for her and her husband.

However, it also inspired him to write powerful songs like "Your Diamonds" and "Pieces." The former model does not also let life weigh her down. On her good days, she is usually by the side of the stage, supporting her husband, as those are her happy moments.

Rob Thomas about Their Marriage

Maldonado has been behind the Grammy Award-winning singer and his successes from the beginning. She said:

"When I came into the picture, we were both really young and we created this together."

She further revealed that everything people see about her husband is what they have worked on together — from his haircut, song, and every move.

Rob Thomas, who performed a duet with Fantasia Barrino in honor of Aretha Franklin, said the relationships he has formed for decades are essential.

The singer has made Maldonado his priority. He revealed that everything that had happened in their lives was supposed to happen as no one forced anyone to be in a relationship.