Selma Blair is 'in remission' from multiple sclerosis after stem cell transplant
Selma Blair didn't expect to be alive to watch her forthcoming documentary Introducing, Selma Blair, but the 49-year-old actress revealed that she is alive and well during a TCA panel on Monday (Aug. 16)—exactly three years to the day since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
"My prognosis is great," Blair said (h/t the Associated Press). "Im in remission."
"It took about a year after stem cell for the inflammation and lesions to really go down, so I was reluctant to talk about it because I felt this need to be more healed," she continued, referring to her hematopoietic stem cell transplant. "I don’t have any new lesions forming."
The Cruel Intentions and Hellboy star also noted that she feels "very charged" when it comes to her cognitive function, but she is still dealing with "maintenance, treatment and glitches, and wonderful things."
Multiple sclerosis, per Mayo Clinic, is described as "a potentially disabling disease" impacting the brain and spinal cord. More specifically, MS occurs when "the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves."
Blair first revealed her diagnosis, which she received Aug. 16, 2018, through Instagram Oct. 20, 2018:
Last week, Blair offered her support to Christina Applegate, whom she co-starred with in 2002 romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing, after the 49-year-old Emmy winner revealed her new MS diagnosis on Twitter:
Directed by Rachel Fleit, Introducing, Selma Blair is an intimate portrait of Blair's battle with MS. The trailer quickly paints just how harrowing it has been for Blair to live with the chronic autoimmune disease.
"I was told to make plans for dying," she says. "Not because I have MS, because I'm fighting MS."
We see Blair undergoing painful chemotherapy and struggling to breathe, walk, talk and keep up with her 10-year-old son, Arthur.
"It's so empty here," she says. "I feel like I'm in the Tom Hanks movie where he's stranded on an island, and I'm eating Wilson."
There is hope, though, when Blair asserts she feels like she has "been given a second chance at life."
The documentary is set to debut in theaters Oct. 15 before becoming available to stream Oct. 21. Watch the trailer below.
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