Christina Applegate Gives 'Important' Update to 'New Normal' After MS Diagnosis

By Ashley Turner

Christina Applegate will make her first public appearance after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The Dead to Me actress, 50, tweeted a photo on Oct. 27 that showed an array of walking sticks she is considering taking with her. "I have a very important ceremony coming up," Applegate tweeted. "This will be my first time out since being diagnosed with MS. Walking sticks are now part of my new normal." She added, "Stay tuned to see which ones make the cut for a week of stuff." 

Applegate first shared that she was diagnosed with MS on Twitter in August 2021, calling it a "strange journey" thus far. "It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition," she wrote at the time. "It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a-hole blocks it." The star requested privacy in the immediate future, adding, "As one of my friends that has MS said, 'We wake up and take the indicated action.' And that's what I do."

According to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS is "an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. "The exact cause of MS is unknown, but we do know that something triggers the immune system to attack the CNS," the organization's website states. "The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain. This interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness, and/or paralysis. Everyone's experience with MS is different, and these losses may be temporary or long-lasting." Doctors can diagnose MS shortly after symptoms appear in some cases, but in others, it may take longer for doctors to figure out the cause, according to the non-profit.

Since then, Applegate has used Twitter to keep her fans up to date on her MS struggles and urged them to watch Selma Blair's documentary about her first year living with the disease. Blair, diagnosed with MS in 2018, was one of the many well-wishers supporting Applegate. "Loving you always," her The Sweetest Thing co-star commented on Applegate's post. "Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love." Previously, Applegate dealt with health issues, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, which led to a double mastectomy. As a precaution against developing more cancer, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2017, as she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation.

Despite Applegate's assertion that her "life is changed forever" after MS, she has still displayed empathy for others who also may be struggling. "Yup. I turned 50 today," she wrote in a 2021 Twitter post. "And I have MS. It's been a hard one. Sending so much love to all of you this day. Many are hurting today, and I am thinking of you. May we find that strength to lift our heads up. Mine currently is on my pillow. But I try."

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