Film and TV actress Selma Blair announced she is dealing with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).
In a post Saturday on her Instagram account, Blair, 46, revealed she was diagnosed with the disease of the central nervous system on Aug. 16.
Blair said she is struggling with the disease’s effects: “I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS.”
READ MORE: Women are 3 times more likely to get MS than men — here’s what we know
She added, however, that thanks to the support of the cast and crew of a Netflix show she is filming, as well as her friends and family, “We are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best.”
Blair thanked her doctor, saying that she had been trying to get a diagnosis for a long time.
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“I am in the thick of it but I hope to give some hope to others,” Blair wrote.
“And even to myself. You can’t get help unless you ask.”
“I am a forthcoming person and I want my life to be full somehow. I want to play with my son again. I want to walk down the street and ride my horse. I have MS and I am OK.”
READ MORE: Multiple sclerosis in Canada: Understanding why MS rates are the highest here
It’s estimated that over 93,500 Canadians of all ages currently live with MS — an inflammatory neurological disease of the central nervous system that impacts one’s brain, spinal cord and optic nerves — and the Public Health Agency of Canada anticipates that number to rise to 133,635 by 2031.
Canada is the country with the highest rate of MS in the world, Statistics Canada reports, and while there are theories as to why that is, the ultimate cause of MS remains a mystery.
MS has been described by patients and physicians as a “tailor-made disease,” meaning that while many can experience a common list of symptoms, it affects everyone differently and to varying degrees. Flare-ups of symptoms are known as attacks or exacerbations, and the severity and longevity of these attacks vary, lasting anywhere from days to months.
These symptoms manifest as a result of a process of several things happening within the body.
MS is also considered an invisible disease. This is because many of the symptoms experienced by patients are internal and are not always visible to outsiders.
—With files from the Associated Press and Dani-Elle Dube
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