Actress Christina Applegate Reveals Subtle Signs She Overlooked Before MS Diagnosis
Looking back now, actress Christina Applegate can see the signs.
The New York Times reports, “Filming a dance sequence during the first season of the Netflix wine-mom dramedy ‘Dead to Me,’ she found herself off balance. Later, her tennis game began to falter.”
“‘I wish I had paid attention,’ she said.”
Over time, the numbing and tingling increased. Years passed, but in 2021 during the third season of “Dead to Me” she received the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
The show halted production so Applegate could receive treatment and discuss medical options. She remembers a sense of “let’s get her some medication so she can be better,” but Applegate, now 50, has had time to accept that there is no “better,” not with this neurological disorder that has, and will continue, to have a profound impact on her life.
The Emmy-award winning actress had previously battled breast cancer in 2008, and, according to Today, underwent both a double mastectomy and had her ovarian and fallopian tubes removed. Applegate is grateful for that initial work break because it allowed her time to process all she lost.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, “multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that affects a person’s brain and spinal cord, slowing down or blocking communications between the brain and body. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and the cause remains unknown.”
Almost 1 million people are living with MS in the United States, a disease that is 2-3 times more common in women. It’s good to be aware of some of the signs of MS. For more extensive information about multiple sclerosis, readers can visit The National Multiple Sclerosis Website.
While her disease is nearly invisible on screen, Applegate wants people to know she’s very aware of the effects. She’s put on over 40 pounds and cannot walk without the assistance of a cane. Her on-screen skills are a result of her resolve, having been an actor since infancy, and creative blocking.
“Now she found that she couldn’t work as hard or as long or in heat without her body giving out. She struggled walking down the stairs of her trailer. A wheelchair took her to set. During some scenes, Mitch B. Cohn, a sound technician and longtime friend, would be on the floor, out of the camera’s range, holding up her legs. Some days she couldn’t come to work at all.”
Applegate recently tweeted a photo of her walking sticks and wants to be open about how MS has impacted her life.
I have a very important ceremony coming up. This will be my first time out since diagnosed with MS. Walking sticks are now part of my new normal. Thank you @neowalksticks for these beauties. Stay tuned to see which ones make the cut for a week of stuff. pic.twitter.com/O543p1G4vS
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) October 27, 2022
Applegate says MS is hard, but her message to fellow sufferers is, “‘May we find that strength to lift our heads.'”
