In honour of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, Selma Blair has posted a powerful video of her own journey with the chronic illness that has plagued her for four years.
The video details her painful experiences battling MS, from undergoing medical treatments to routine hospital visits — but that’s not the only aspect she wants to show. From practicing yoga on the beach to dancing with her son and working on modelling shoots, she’s out to prove that her life is still rich with love and laughter, despite dealing with the extremities of MS.
“March is #MSAwareness month,” Blair wrote in the caption. “May we all find the strength to persevere.”
While MS is a highly complex condition, it is generally understood as a disease which attacks a healthy immune system by attacking healthy nerve fibres in the spinal cord and brain, causing numerous communication issues between the body and brain. Symptoms include balance problems, depression, issues with the eyes (including vision loss) and digestive issues. The chronic illness is degenerative and has no definitive cure, but there are multiple treatment options available which can slow down its progression. Since being diagnosed, Selma Blair has used her platform to advocate for the disease and spread awareness.
Blair suffered through a delayed diagnosis after experiencing 15 years of unexplained symptoms, which she claims doctors did not take seriously. After receiving her official MS diagnosis, she took to Instagram to share the news, writing: “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.”
In 2019, Blair made headlines after appearing at the Vanity Fair Oscars party with her cane. The Cruel Intentions actress looked breathtaking in her floor-length gown, cape and striking jewellery, serving as an inspiration to anyone struggling with the same illness. Speaking to SELF in October 2021, Selma revealed that by living her truth, she feels proud that she is able to comfort others in a similar situation.
“To hear even just me showing up with a cane or sharing something that might be embarrassing, it was a key for a lot of people in finding comfort in themselves and that means everything to me,”
In October 2021, Selma released a documentary titled Introducing, Selma Blair, which detailed her experience undergoing stem cell therapy and her struggles adjusting to life with MS. During a panel where the actress promoted the documentary, she revealed that she was in remission after three years and was feeling much better.
“My prognosis is great. I’m in remission. Stem cell put me in remission,” she said.
Most recently, Blair made headlines after being granted a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend. The 49-year-old alleges he attacked her at her Los Angeles home, leaving her with bruises on her chin, neck and arm.
Her ex-partner has since been arrested for intimate partner violence and is due to be arraigned in June.
