The Alarming Symptom That Selma Blair Noticed in Christina Applegate Led to a Shocking Discovery

year ago

Selma Blair was on the brink of losing hope before she received her MS diagnosis.

IMAGO / Faye Sadou / Imago Stock and People / East News

Selma Blair’s journey with multiple sclerosis was not an easy one. As a child, she experienced uncontrollable laughter during the night, which later turned into waves of sudden crying spells as she grew older. However, she dismissed these symptoms as mere emotional outbursts.

It wasn’t until she was finally diagnosed with MS that she realized the extent of the damage it had caused to her frontal lobe, akin to a brain injury. Despite her appearance being normal, Blair had been living with a disability her entire life without knowing it. Her story emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and not giving up, even when it seems like all hope is lost.

The impact of Selma Blair’s MS diagnosis on her career and life.

Following her appearance in Kath & Kim in 2009, Blair’s autoimmune system began attacking itself, resulting in hair loss and exhaustion. This forced her to leave the industry and caused her to struggle with self-loathing. Completing even basic tasks was a challenge, let alone pursuing work. She spent her days in bed, crying, reading, sleeping, and seeking medical assistance while constantly worrying that a diagnosis would leave her incapacitated or mentally unstable. Blair admits that she almost lost hope until she received her diagnosis.

Selma Blair proactively helps friend Christina Applegate get tested for MS.

After living with multiple sclerosis for 40 years without a diagnosis, Selma Blair took it upon herself to prevent her friend Christina Applegate from experiencing the same delay in diagnosis, urging her to get tested for the disease when she began experiencing symptoms.

“I was sitting in Selma’s living room, our children playing, and I told Selma I’d been having this weird tingling in my feet,” she said. “She said, ‘You must get tested for MS.’ [Even my doctor doubted it] but there it was.”

After roughly three years since Blair first shared her experience with MS, Applegate publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2021, and together the two actors, known for their roles in The Sweetest Thing, have been vocal advocates for people with the disease.

Applegate has shared her experiences with MS symptoms and the challenges of managing the disease.

VALERIE MACON/AFP/East News

Christina Applegate had been experiencing numbness and tingling in her limbs for years before she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “I wish I had paid attention,” she admitted in an interview. “But who was I to know?”

The actress also noticed that she was losing her balance while shooting Dead To Me and had trouble playing tennis before finding out that she had MS. She got some drugs to help her cope, but, as Applegate put it, there is no cure, so she had to deal with the “loss of my life, my loss of that part of me.”

The power of friendship in uncovering MS diagnosis.

The journey through MS can be a difficult one, but it can be made easier with the help of friends. This was the case for Christina Applegate, who was recently diagnosed with MS. It was Selma Blair, her dear friend who has also been battling the disease, who noticed a single symptom in Applegate that led to her diagnosis. Blair’s keen observation and unwavering support have helped Applegate come to terms with her diagnosis and face this new chapter of her life with courage and determination.

This story is a testament to the power of friendship and the importance of being there for those we love in their time of need.

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Preview photo credit VALERIE MACON/AFP/East News, IMAGO / Faye Sadou / Imago Stock and People / East News