Selma Blair has opened up about what it is like to live with multiple sclerosis (MS). She was diagnosed in August. The 46-year-old actress thinks she has been battling it unknowingly for 15 years.
“When I got the diagnosis I cried with some relief,” she said.
“Like, ‘Oh, good, I’ll be able to do something.'”
2.3 million people are estimated to be living with MS worldwide. Symptoms vary but 80% report fatigue that interferes with their life just like Blair. In her Instagram post that announced her diagnosis, she praised those around her.
She said of her costume designer Alisa Swanson, “She carefully gets my legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, buttons my coats and offers her shoulder to steady myself.”
She then went on to describe what it is like living with MS, “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.”
Currently, there is no cure for MS. Steroids can help curtail progression. As well as a disciplined physical therapy routine. A rapid progression can result in paralysis. But 2/3 of MS patients retain their ability to walk.
Blair made her first public appearance since October at the Oscars. Complete with a pink diamond adorned custom cane, “How can we make canes chic?”
Blair’s bravery has led to many others revealing diagnoses they hid away. Did Blair inspire you? Let us know in the comments!
