Published Jan 10, 2023

Courageous Actress Selma Blair, 50, Says Fight Multiple Sclerosis Has Forced Her To Accept Past Addiction & Faults

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Living With Multiple Sclerosis-- Lessons For The Community

Selma Blair, 50, admitted in a recent interview that she’s doing “so much better” during her battle with multiple sclerosis.
The ‘Cruel Intentions’ star was diagnosed with a degenerative autoimmune condition known as multiple sclerosis (MS) in October 2018, after suffering for years with unexplained symptoms like falling, dropping things, and issues with her memory.
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.
Multiple sclerosis disrupts communication between the brain and the body. Symptoms of the disease can include vision loss, pain, fatigue, and impaired coordination.

Nearly four years after Selma Blair, 50, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the actor and activist is finally learning to cope with the disease that continues to change her body.

"I'm so much better, but it haunts my physical cells. It's there," Blair told Self Magazine for her cover story in January. "Some people wake up two years later and they're like, 'I'm healed! Colors are brighter!' But I never had that moment. I just stopped having regression."

Blair credits the disease with changing her life in a good way. She explained the diagnosis “really did rewire” her.

“It rewired me to find acceptance in being honest about my faults, about my past addiction, and about my problems,” she said. “It made me more empathetic towards myself."

Selma Blair is pictured using a cane to help her walk in 2022 (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

Blair also noted that her friendships with people like disability rights activist and author Keah Brown, Crip Camp director James Lebrecht and disability inclusion specialist AndraÃ©a Lavant have helped her remain confident and focus on self-care.

“They've been the people that have been rolling the roll and walking the walk since they were young,” Blair told Self. “They've guided me about knowing what I need, about being disciplined with myself, about taking the time to rest. These are people that have been trying to keep up in a non-disabled world for a long time. They have a lot of practice."

Blair admits that once she received her MS diagnosis back in 2018, she “was overwhelmed by a sense of relief.”

She described the feeling as "like the way you feel when an ocean wave breaks right at the shore before taking you under."

Selma Blair Rehearses For 'Dancing With The Stars' While Living With Multiple Sclerosis

Understanding MS

Selma Blair 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 systemâ€¦[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.