Selma Blair came to our attention in the 1998 movie Brown’s Requiem and has gone on to appear in a series of roles in hit TV shows and big budget fantasy movies.
But in October her fans were left shocked when she announced she had multiple sclerosis. The Detroit-born star said she thought she’d had the disease for 15 years but had only been diagnosed this year.
As she remains open about her journey, she recently posted a picture of herself with a cane and has been overwhelmed by the support in response.
Now she’s helping thousands of others with the same condition.
Selma Blair came to our attention in the 1998 movie Brown’s Requiem and has appeared in a series of roles in hit TV shows and big-budget fantasy movies.
But in 2018 her fans were left shocked when she announced she had multiple sclerosis.
The Detroit-born star said she thought she’d had the disease for 15 years but had only been diagnosed this year.
Over the years, Selma Blair has made herself a name as a talented and versatile actress. Many people remember her from her performance as Cecile Caldwell in the cult film Cruel Intentions, from 1999.
Her memorable portrayal of Liz Sherman in the Hellboy franchise also gained her critical acclaim.
But in recent years, Selma hasn’t been able to focus solely on her performances on the big screen. In 2018, she publicly disclosed that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis.
The symptoms had plagued Sela for years, and she was suffering from nerve pain, numbness, and depression.
“I have had symptoms for years but was never taken seriously until I fell down in front of [the doctor] trying to sort out what I thought was a pinched nerve,” she wrote on Instagram.
MS is a terrifying, chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. It often causes a range of symptoms including muscle weakness, difficulty with coordination and balance, and problems with vision.
But when Selma finally got an answer to her symptoms, which were “dismissed as ‘anxiety’ and ‘emotional,’ for years, she wasn’t sad.
“I was overwhelmed by a sense of relief, like the way you feel when an ocean wave breaks right at the shore before taking you under,” Blair wrote in her memoir. “Now I had a map to follow. I had information. A label. This time, one that fit.”
Selma, who was in her mid-40s when she got the diagnosis, remains open about her journey, she regularly posts pictures of herself with a cane.
After she decided to reveal her diagnosis to the public and to her fans, the actress was overwhelmed by the support in response.
Now she’s helping thousands of others with the same condition.
In 2018, the 50-year-old actress posted the first image of her using her cane without any comment.
“What’s with the cane?” one fan commented.
Selma replied: “I use one.”
Lose balance
As it disrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body, it affects people differently. The disease affects at least two to three more times women than men, according to the National MS Society.
“I don’t always get the [nerve] impulses from brain to body. And fall and lose balance,” she explained to a fan.
Due to her loss of balance she has started to use a cane.
On December 24 four years ago, Selma posted her first photo of herself using a cane on Instagram at the Kardashian-Jenner Christmas Eve party.
It prompted a lot of questions from her fans.
Selma explained in the comments that her cane not only helped her to keep her balance but also alert others that “I may trip (likely) or fall or slur. So the cane kind of alerts others.”
Hundreds posted comments of support including other MS sufferers.
Many supporters
A few days later, Selma posted another photo of herself with her cane with a quote from writer Jean Améry.
“I had grasped well that there are situations in life where our body is our entire self and fate. I was in my body and nothing else… My body was my calamity,” she wrote.
Many people commented and thanked her for her openness about the disease.
“I can’t feel my left side still and afraid I will injure it,” she wrote in response to a comment. “Total anesthesia limbs. I crash to bathroom every night.”
Hard to accept
She also wrote about her difficulty accepting that she can’t do everything that she used to do before her diagnosis.
“Ms is different for everyone,” she said. “It is an adjustment I will not totally accept. I can’t feel most of my body. I feel short tempered with my limitations sometimes. I want to jump and ride my horse again.”
In 2022, she released her memoir, Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up, where she opened up and described her daily life with multiple sclerosis.
What an inspiration. I think she’s a walking miracle. When you’ve seen how she was to now is remarkable!
Thank you for your honesty and bravery Selma, you are helping so many others. So grateful that you are is sharing your story and the reality of MS with the world.
Please share so others can see!
