Horse Provides Great Therapy for Actress Selma Blair, 48, Amid MS Battle: “I Cannot Stop Smiling”

She talks about how she would beg her mom for lessons when she was younger but young Selma showed little promise; just a few lessons and that was it. Now, as an adult, she seems to have found a horse that was right for her. “When I bought Nibbles three years ago, it was my biggest investment in myself. A sober self with increasingly unremitting exhaustion. I couldn't feel my bum or left leg on my horse. The proprioception issues, inability to sit still, spasms, twitches. Jerks. Dystonia increased. I just laughed and thought getting older is impossible! But it was ms…”

 

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Blair said credits her horse Nibbles with helping her find joy in life, “I am at the beginning. Still. And I cannot stop smiling. I cannot. When I am at the barn. I finally have the white unicorn I cannot believe is in my life and I want to rise to the occasion. P.S. Still wearing the same shirt from 30 years ago.”

Selma’s MS Journey

Selma Blair shared her life-changing diagnosis of MS in 2018, and she’s been open, vulnerable, and transparent with fans throughout her journey. We so admire the way she is bravely living in the public eye with her diagnosis, and how she’s raising awareness around MS in the process. MS is a disease that affects the immune system, eating away at the protective covering around the body’s nerves.

Related: Selma Blair, 48, Shares Birthday Message to Best Friend, Who Supported Her Through Chemo & MS, Has Important Message for Others Fighting Illness

In October 2018, Blair spoke candidly about her MS on Instagram, saying, "I have multiple sclerosis. I am in an exacerbation…I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken gps. But we are doing it . And I laugh and I don't know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best. Since my diagnosis at ten thirty pm on The night of August 16, I have had love and support from my friends…"

The actress has chemotherapy to help treat the disease. Side effects from chemotherapy may include nausea, hair loss, fatigue, and nerve pain.

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Staying Positive Through a Diagnosis

Coping with a life-changing diagnosis like MS or cancer can feel overwhelming, and may lead to feelings of anxiety or depression. When dealing with a new diagnosis, it’s good to focus on the positives and arm yourself with a good support network of family, friends, and loved ones.

Related: A Major Step in the Cancer Journey: Learning to Deal With Vulnerability

Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, said in a previous interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow. But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Stay Positive, It Matters

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