Selma Blair on MS diagnosis: I am disabled
Selma Blair took to Instagram to open up about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis
Selma Blair is taking a stand in her battle with multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS.
The 50-year-old actress struck a powerful pose while holding a cane on the cover of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue.
The "Cruel Intentions" star stunned in a golden-beige gown with stylish cutouts. She stood with confidence while holding her black and silver cane.
The cover read, "Selma Blair, Reframing Fashion, Dynamic, Daring & Disabled."
‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’: SELMA BLAIR'S SON CALLS MOM 'MS SUPERHERO' AFTER BLINDFOLDED PERFORMANCE
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"I have an emotional and physical attachment to the cane," she shared during the British Vogue cover interview.
"I settle in my voice and body as soon as I hold [it]. It’s an extension of me. And I know it adds to visibility. So many younger people have started publicly embracing their sticks more. I do think representation matters. If I can help remove stigma or over-curiosity in a crowd for someone else, then that’s great."
Blair detailed her experience with MS and pointed out that she lived with the disease for 40 years before being diagnosed. She expressed that she’s done staying quiet on the subject.
"If you’re a boy with those symptoms, you get an MRI. If you’re a girl, you’re called ‘crazy.’"
The "Legally Blonde" star continued to candidly speak out about how she suffered from MS all those years, and doctors disregarded her symptoms for decades.
SELMA BLAIR SAYS SHE'S 'IN REMISSION' FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: 'MY PROGNOSIS IS GREAT'
Selma Blair stunned in a golden-beige gown with stylish cutouts. She stood with confidence while holding her black and silver cane on the cover of British Vogue. (British Vogue/ Adama Jalloh)
Blair added that when she was growing up, she would wake up in the middle of the night laughing hysterically, and as an adult she experienced "waves of uncontrollable crying that came out of nowhere."
"I just thought I was a hugely emotional person," Blair noted.
Selma Blair stunned in a strapless black dress and matching heels while holding her cane confidently on the cover of British Vogue. (British Vogue/Adama Jalloh)
While she was not yet diagnosed with MS, Blair said, her frontal lobe became damaged, which is equivalent of a brain injury, according to the media outlet.
She did not get a diagnosis until 40 years later.
Selma Blair told British Vogue that on a good day, she is laughing and out of the house with friends. On a bad day, she is vomiting, collapsed in bed. (Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images)
"I looked like a ‘normal’ girl to them," she remarked, "but I was Disabled this whole time."
Blair went on to share her symptoms and said that her condition fluctuates.
She told British Vogue that on a good day, she is laughing and out of the house with friends. On a bad day, she is vomiting, collapsed in bed.
"Sometimes I can’t eat for days, and then when I can relax, I overdo it and all the hunger rushes in. I require more sleep than a bear in winter."
Selma Blair revealed that for decades she felt alone and ashamed living without a diagnosis that made her mind spiral into dark thoughts. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Blair revealed for decades that she felt alone and ashamed living without a diagnosis that made her mind spiral into dark thoughts.
"As an adult, the lassitude and anxiety became terrifying, actually. I made mistakes. Wished myself dead. Attempted suicide. A few times. Out of desperation."
The actress first shared that she'd been diagnosed with the disease, which causes the immune system to attack the protective covering of nerve fibers and impacts communication between the brain and the body, in 2018.
Selma Blair admitted she was terrified that her illness would interfere with her work in Hollywood. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
She has been in remission since 2021, when she underwent stem cell transplantation to treat the condition.
The Hollywood actor reflected on her career and admitted she was terrified that her illness would interfere with her work.
"I was worried since the beginning of time that a glaring fault would remove me from the workforce. And usually it was my incoordination or getting stuck, too weak or sick, in my trailer – or any time, really. The vomiting or body issues were terrifying, [and the] baldness or rashes."
After her tumultuous ride with MS, Selma Blair is proud to be an advocate for the Disabled community and work with disabled allies. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Blair was terrified of being "found out" and said she had been living in "terror."
After her tumultuous ride with MS, Blair is proud to be an advocate for the disabled community and work with disabled allies.
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"I didn’t imagine I could ever make a difference by showing up as myself and being open about my experiences. But when others with mobility aids rallied around my presence on the red carpet with a cane and in the midst of an MS flare, I noticed. I felt empowered to share. . . . Now it’s a conscious choice to."
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Blair said she finds joy in simply walking her dog or creatively moving furniture around her home in the middle of the night.
"I am so grateful for the peaceful hours now."
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