Having a rare or serious illness can be a painful, sometimes lonely, journey. Anyone can be affected, young, old, rich or famous. These 9 celebrity moms are living with MS (multiple sclerosis) or other rare illnesses.
9 Celebrity Moms with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) And Other Rare Illnesses
Photo Credit: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal
1. Selma Blair (Multiple Sclerosis)
Selma Blair was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2018 after seeing a doctor for what she thought was a pinched nerve. She was told she had MS after lesions were found on an MRI. Blair wasn’t responding to traditional treatments so she opted for chemotherapy. The actress spoke at the Time 100 Health Summit and told a panel, “I was really declining more rapidly than I found acceptable… “And I was like, ‘I’m not ruining my body — what’s left of it — why would I put this horrible drug in my body? Chemotherapy? …I don’t have cancer, I don’t need it,’ but I was kind of out of options.”
2. Christina Applegate (Multiple Sclerosis)
Bad Moms actress Christina Applegate revealed on twitter that she was diagnosed with MS a “few months ago.” She admitted that it’s been a strange journey, but she’s been supported by others who also have Multiple Sclerosis. Selma Blair showed her support to Applegate on twitter, “Loving you always. Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love”
3. Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Multiple Sclerosis)
In an essay that she wrote for Shondaland in 2019, Jamie-Lynn Sigler shared in-depth about her MS struggles. The celebrity mom said, “The truth is, it’s definitely taken a lot from me: my ability to run, dance, jump, wear high heels (it’s been 11 years since I’ve done that, and now I walk with a slight limp). My ability to control my bladder (meds help with that). My career. And while that’s out of much of our control as actors, it’s definitely gotten super quiet for me since I came public with my MS…” She went on to say that her disease has been stable for 10 years and that MS, or any chronic illness, becomes your whole family’s disease, not just your own and that although she faces regular challenges it has made her see just how strong she is.
4. Annette Funicello (Multiple Sclerosis)
When Annette Funicello was on a promotional tour for her film Back to the Beach in 1987, she began to suffer from dizziness and balance issues and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was revealed that she hid her condition from family and friends for 5 years, and in 1992, she publicly disclosed her diagnosis, saying, “I think you only have two choices in this kind of situation. Either you give in to it or you fight it. I intend to fight.”
5. Ann Romney (Multiple Sclerosis)
Not only was Ann Romney, wife of Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, diagnosed with breast in 2012, but also multiple sclerosis in 1998. She credits a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments with giving her a lifestyle primarily without limitations.
6. Teri Garr (Multiple Sclerosis)
In 2002, legendary actress Teri Garr spoke with Larry King and revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. In that interview, Garr said she walked with a slight limp and had been fitted with a leg brace. She also takes medication to control her symptoms. “I do go on with my life… The good news now is that there’s a lot of good medicines out there and options for people.,” Garr optimistically stated.
7. Toni Braxton (Lupus)
In an interview with Live with Kelly and Ryan, Grammy Award-winning artist, Toni Braxton spoke about her struggles with having Lupus. The singer was diagnosed with it in 2018. Lupus can cause inflammation of the myocardium, the muscle tissue of the heart. Braxton revealed that her particular type of Lupus “loves her heart,” and attacks it with microvascular angina (a form of chest pain due to abnormalities in the tiny arteries of the heart that causes decreased blood flow). It also causes blood clots and other illnesses related to the autoimmune disease.
8. Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins (Sickle Cell Anemia)
Tionne Watkins, known as “T-Boz,” in the chart-topping singing group TLC, has been very open about her battle with sickle cell disease (SCD). In her memoir, A Sick Life: TLC ‘n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage, the musician talks about her long journey with this disease. The singer was told that she would be disabled her whole life and never have kids. The mom of two beat the odds and in her book shares her struggles with this debilitating and incurable condition that renders her unable to perform, walk, or even breathe. The book chronicles Watkins’ journey from a sickly young girl, who was told she wouldn’t live to see 30, to becoming a superstar musician and sickle-cell disease advocate.
9. Dr. Jennifer “Dr. Jen” Arnold (Skeletal Dysplasia)
Dr. Jennifer Arnold is a tv personality and a neonatologist. She also has skeletal dysplasia or dwarfism. Dr. Jen starred on the TLC show The Little Couple and documented what it was like to receive a stage 3 choriocarcinoma cancer diagnosis, a rare cancer that began with a pregnancy loss. This particular cancer begins in the cells that would become the placenta. Since Arnold has dwarfism, treatment for the disease was difficult, however, according to a 2014 Bustle report, Arnold has been in remission since 2014. She told the AARC Foundation, “For me, life after cancer is about remembering that life is truly short – no pun intended – and we have to prioritize the things that make us happy, the things that we want to do, and the things that are important to us and to those we care about.”
No one is immune to getting sick, not even celebrity moms.
After an MRI i was diagnosed of MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. After years on medications, symptoms worsened with tremors on my right hand, numbness and tingling, muscle weakness and loss of speech. Fortunately last year, i learnt about Health Herbs Clinic and their Multiple Sclerosis alternative treatment (ww w. healthherbsclinic. com), the Multiple Sclerosis treatment made a great difference, most of my symptoms including tremors, weakness and others gradually disappeared. I improved greatly over the 6 months treatment, its been a years since the treatment, i have no symptoms. I have a very good quality of life and a supportive family!
I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 52 years old 4 years ago. The Bafiertam did very little to help me. The medical team did even less. My decline was rapid and devastating. It was muscle weakness at first, then my hands and tremors. Last year, a family friend told us about Natural Herbs Centre and their successful MS Ayurveda TREATMENT, we visited their website naturalherbscentre. com and ordered their Multiple Sclerosis Ayurveda protocol, i am happy to report the treatment effectively treated and reversed my Multiple Sclerosis, most of my symptoms stopped, I’m able to walk and my writing is becoming great, sleep well and exercise regularly. I’m active now, I can personally vouch for these remedy but you would probably need to decide what works best for you.
My husband had MS-4 programme about 4 months ago. he sleeps soundly, works out frequently, and is now very active. It doesn’t make the MS go away but it did give him better quality of life. we got the treatment from naturalherbscentre. com