Selma Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2018 and after a successful hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation she is now in remission. Although the Cruel Intentions actress does still experience some symptoms.
Over the weekend, the actress’ service dog, Scout, adorably stole the show at Vanity Fair’s Oscar after party. The sweet pooch had some of the biggest names in entertainment sitting on the floor to give him pets, including the likes of Justin Theroux.
While the actress usually sports her plain black cane on red carpets, Scout has been alongside Selma since her diagnosis. The Labrador helps with her balance, mobility, muscle spasms and emotional support.
When she first revealed her diagnosis, the Hellboy star revealed she had likely been living with the disease for years. Selma has also previously opened up about using alcohol to self-medicate some issues she now recognises as early symptoms with the gift of hindsight.
MS is caused by damage to the central nervous system that affects electrical signals in the brain. According to the NHS, MS can affect every patient differently and there are a vast variety of symptoms.
Some of the more common issues that MS sufferers first encounter include:
- Extreme fatigue
- Vision problems like blurriness or eye pain
- Numbness or tingling in different parts of the body
- Feeling off balance, dizzy or clumsy (uncoordinated)
- Muscle cramps, spasms and stiffness
- Developing bladder, memory, sex or concentration problems.
Some symptoms may worsen in what’s called flare-ups or relapses and then go into remission, when they get slightly better. Overall though the symptoms generally get worse with time if you don’t get treatment.
There is no cure for MS but there are treatments depending on what type you are diagnosed with and the symptoms you experience. Some people may be able to go about their daily lives as usual and most live into old age although life expectancy is a few years shorter than the general population.
In 2022, Selma told British Vogue that she believed she had unknowingly been experiencing MS symptoms since the age of seven. She recalled things like losing use of her right eye, left leg and bladder during childhood but it was often dismissed as attention-seeking behaviour.
“If you’re a boy with those symptoms, you get an MRI. If you’re a girl, you’re called ‘crazy,'” she said at the time. Speaking to Today last month, the 52-year-old assured she’s in a much better space both mentally and physically now.
She shared: “I’m so much happier. Yes. There are setbacks and my heart breaks when life goes off the rails. I was a sad person. I wanted joy and good things but I was living a lie because I didn’t know I was sick.”