Selma Blair Reveals She's 'In Remission' From MS Battle

Aug 17, 2021 by apost team

Selma Blair, best known for her roles in movies such as "Cruel Intentions," "Legally Blond" and "Hellboy" announced to fans in 2018 that she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that affects the central nervous system. It is a highly debilitating disease in the long run, and Blair has used her platform to candidly speak about the effect of the disease and provide support for others with the same diagnosis. 

Blair first revealed her diagnosis in October 2018 as per Health.com, and since then, she has appeared on multiple news outlets to discuss how the disease has affected her everyday life. Along with numbness in her body, she has also struggled with other effects of MS such as spasmodic dysphonia, immense pain and balance issues. Blair has been using a cane to walk for the last two years as well. 

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system. According to the National MS Society, an abnormal response of the immune system causes inflammation that damages myelin, which is the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers in the body, as well as the nerve fibers themselves, and the specialized cells that make myelin. This leads to damage in the way that the central nervous system works. 

After years of struggling with the diagnosis, Blair revealed that she was in remission for the first time on August 16, 2021, during a virtual appearance at the discovery+ Television Critics Association. This is incredible news indeed, and it must be a relief for Blair. Read on to know more about Blair's experiences.  

Blair received praise for the way she has been open about her struggles, which has allowed others to come forward with their own experiences of MS. Most recently, actress Christina Applegate also heartbreakingly revealed that she was diagnosed with MS. 

Page Six reported that during a virtual appearance at the discovery+ Television Critics Association panel, Blair said she’s now in remission. She also promoted her upcoming documentary, “Introducing Selma Blair" during the appearance. 

The actress said, "My prognosis is great. I’m in remission. Stem cell put me in remission," adding, "It took about a year after stem cell for the inflammation and lesions to really go down." 

ABC News reported that "she underwent hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation which uses stem cells derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood or umbilical cord blood." Blair also said that she wanted to wait to share her story about remission. 

“It took about a year after stem cell for the inflammation and lesions to really go down, so I was reluctant to talk about it because I felt this need to be more healed,” she said. “I don’t have any new lesions forming," she said. 

"I’ve accrued a lifetime of some baggage in the brain that still needs a little sorting out or accepting. That took me a minute to get to that acceptance. It doesn’t look like this for everyone. I have really felt unwell and misunderstood for so long that it’s just me," Blair added. 

Blair also opened up about how difficult her MS flare-ups could be on her 10-year-old son Arthur.

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"It’s not that MS was on a path killing me. I mean it was killing me with this flare lasting so long," she added. "I was so burnt out. If there was an option to halt me, to rebalance after being hit so hard with that last flare, it’s absolutely for my son. I have no desire to leave him alone right now."

The severity of multiple sclerosis varies from person to person and the type of MS they have. According to the National MS Society, there are four different types of MS that will define how much the disease will affect the person and how fast they may deteriorate. There is no known cause for the disease, "but it is believed to involve genetic susceptibility, abnormalities in the immune system and environmental factors that combine to trigger the disease." 

Blair was also grateful for the people in her life that have helped to take care of her, and has a new outlook on life.

"People took great care of me. I never really like life. I do now — strange, huh?" she said. "Just because life’s so weird. I was so scared in life. To suddenly start to find an identity and a safety in me, to figure out boundaries, time management and energy. I’m having the time of my life."

Blair also said she is glad to have a platform to open up to others, "I’m thrilled that I have some platform. In no means am I saying that I’m speaking for all people in this condition or any condition of chronic illness, I’m speaking my story and I that helps normalize one thing to open the door for other people to be comfortable in telling their stories. I’m thrilled to have this here."

What do you think of Selam Blair's news about her remission from MS? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this news onto your friends if they didn't already.