Last year, actress Selma Blair announced her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, she has shared the ‘painful’ truth of life with the condition.
MS is a neurological condition which affects a person’s nerves. There are more than 100,000 people in the UK with MS. Many will have received their diagnosis in their thirties, forties and fifties.
DIAGNOSED
In October 2018, Selma Blair revealed she had been diagnosed with MS in a heartfelt post on her Instagram account.
The star, best known for her role in Cruel Intentions, wrote at the time: “The brilliant costumer #Allisaswanson not only designs the pieces #harperglass will wear on this new #Netflix show , but she carefully gets my legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, buttons my coats and offers her shoulder to steady myself. I have #multiplesclerosis.”
Six months on, Selma has shared a new insight into her journey. Feeling the “pain of what she’d lost”, the 46-year-old is highlighting the debilitating symptoms that can come with MS.
PERSONAL
Writing on her Instagram, Selma shares: “There is a truth with neurodegenerative brain disease. It is uncomfortable. It is a stadium of uncontrollable anxiety at times.
“My brain is on fire. I am freezing. We feel alone with it even though the loving support has been a god send and appreciated. People write me asking how I do it. I do my best. But I choke with the pain of what I have lost and what I dare hope for.”
Selma regularly posts candid shots of herself across social media, and her open and honest take on living with MS is sure to highlight the condition. In some shots, Selma has even revealed she is now using the aid of a walking stick to ease symptoms.
Although receiving official diagnosis six months ago, Selma believes, like many people diagnosed with MS, that her symptoms started almost 15 years earlier.
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing symptoms of MS there are charities and organisations on hand to support you.