Supporting Others Through Chronic Disease
- Selma Blair was diagnosed with a degenerative autoimmune condition known as multiple sclerosis in October 2018, after suffering for years with unexplained symptoms like falling, dropping things, and issues with her memory.
- Breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate revealed she was also struggling with MS in the spring of 2021.
- Now, The Sweetest Thing costars offer each other support as they both battle the same auto-immune disease that causes nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.
- There are nearly 1 million people suffering from MS in the United States. In Don't Stop Me Now, SurvivorNetTV features the story of one incredible woman who, like Blair, learns to overcome her own hardships, and inspires countless people along the way.
The Michigan native is a true role model to people across the globe who are also suffering from MS, especially her former co-star and dear friend Christina Applegate, 50, who she praised earlier this week for having “nailed it” during her fight against the debilitating condition.
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“She really is. She’s such a nurturer. If you need something she’s at your house. There have been things that I had been unglued, and she’s like, ‘I’m outside. Answer the door,'” Blair said. “She’s just amazing and strong and fun.”
“But I’m more like, ‘OK, if you need help with canes,’ and that stuff, ’cause I’m like, really into all of that, like all the things that help me get around, but she’s getting it locked down. She has a lot on her plate. It’s a lot, but she’s as brilliant and beautiful as ever,” she added.
Blair’s sweet words come about a week after Applegate was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during an emotional ceremony, where she was seen walking barefoot, using a cane, and toting her newly painted nails reading "FU MS" an event which marked her first public appearance since announcing her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
“She was funny and definitely like her performance was amazing … but to be there. I just wanna witness the greats in my friends’ lives, like just quietly back there, and so to know that I was there for something that we dream about when we’re little,” Blair recounted of the speech Applegate gave during the induction ceremony.
Applegate, who was initially prepared to receive her star in 2020 but was unable to as it was delayed by the pandemic, shed tears during her podium speech, where she expressed her love for her supportive friends and daughter.
“This day means more to me than you could possibly imagine. … I don’t say I have friends, I have family. These people take care of me every day of my life, and without them I don’t know what I would do,” Applegate said, before revealing her daughter is the “most important in this world” to her.
Days prior to the ceremony, which was the first time Applegate was seen after gaining 40lbs due to limited mobility, she opened up on how multiple sclerosis (MS) has changed her life and admitted to prioritizing her time differently as she struggles with MS.
“It's about finding what I'm capable of doing. I'm so new in this right now. It takes time to kind of figure out this disease, and figure out what's bringing on symptoms,” Applegate, who recently showed off her new walking sticks, told Variety. “I'm just a newbie to all of this. So I'm trying to figure it out and I'm also in mourning for the person that I was.”
The star of Netflix's Dead to Me, who is now focusing more of her time on her 11-year-old daughter Sadie Grace LeNoble, said she’s hoping to find a place that will respect her battle with the disease and allow her to work shortened hours or take breaks when needed.
Applegate is no stranger to her MS diagnosis, as she is also a breast cancer survivor. However, according to scientific research, there is no known linkage between women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.
In 2008 Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer after doctors found something in her left breast, she then decided to have a double mastectomy. Additionally, she revealed to Today.com in 2017 that she also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as a precaution, due to her higher risk with ovarian cancer in her family. Applegate shared that she changed her lifestyle habits and advocates for more rest and less stress to stay healthy.
Understanding MS
As for Blair, she was diagnosed with MS in October 2018, after suffering for years with unexplained symptoms like falling, dropping things, and issues with her memory.
Rather than staying private about her day-to-day challenges, the filmmaker has since become a strong voice in the health community, particularly raising awareness about mental health challenges.
Blair underwent chemotherapy for treatment, and shared her hair loss journey with fans through social media. However, due to her illness, she still suffers from regular chronic pain, which caused her to struggle with activities she used to love. But despite her troubles, she still competed in the most recent season of Dancing With the Stars.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of the body's nerves.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains this disease as: "An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system…[MS] can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted." Investigators of the disease believe it to be an autoimmune disease.
Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between the ages of 20 and 40. Typically, one of the first symptoms of this disease is vision-related: Blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye.
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Many people fighting MS experience muscle weakness and difficulty with coordination and balance. Currently, there is no cure for MS, although some people treat the disease using chemotherapy, medications, or steroid drugs.
Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
MS causes the immune system to attack the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers which leads to communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body, according to the Mayo Clinic. Eventually, MS can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves.
Signs and symptoms of MS can vary widely but may include the following, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body at a time, or your legs and trunk
- Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, especially bending the neck forward (Lhermitte sign)
- Tremor, lack of coordination or unsteady gait
- Partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement
- Prolonged double vision
- Blurry vision
- Slurred speech
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Tingling or pain in parts of your body
- Problems with sexual, bowel and bladder function
The Mayo Clinic also says most people with MS go through periods of new symptoms or relapses followed by quiet periods of disease remission. These relapses can develop over days or weeks and the remission periods can last for months or even years. Around half of patients will have symptoms steadily increase within 10 or 20 years from diagnosis, which is secondary-progressive MS, and that rate varies greatly between patients.
Inspiring Stories For People With Multiple Sclerosis
As a part of our effort to support people with chronic conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, SurvivorNetTV has added a new block of programming specific to MS. It is our hope that these films inspire the nearly 1 million people living with MS in the United States.
SurvivorNetTV's film Defying All Odds, follows the story of Dr. Terry Wahls a world-renowned doctor and scientist determined to continue practicing medicine even after being diagnosed with a severe form of multiple sclerosis (MS).
SurvivorNetTV Presents: Defying All Odds A World-Renowned Doctor's Incredible Journey Through MS
You will see in the film that Dr. Wahls attempts to manage her condition by starting a paleo diet, which consisted mainly of grass-fed meat, fish, leafy and root vegetables, and nuts. She restricted her consumption of dairy, eggs, and grains. As a result of her new diet, Dr. Wahls and her colleagues saw incredible improvement in her health.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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