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Back in 2021, Christina Applegate’s life changed forever when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
The beloved actress has been extremely candid in her discussions of her condition, and many chronic illness patients have drawn inspiration from her example.
Christina still attends events like the Emmys, and she remains as active as her condition allows.
But sadly, she now says that her illness has advanced to the point where she’s not able to do quite as much as she used to.
Christina Appleagate opens up about the state of her health
Appearing on Hoda Kotb’s “Making Space” podcast this week, Applegate gave a heartbreaking update on her battle with MS.
“I am defined by it right now,” Christina told Hoda during a discussion about her illness, adding:
“I have days where I can’t even walk to the bathroom, so I am defined by it.”
Christina explained that even after four years of fighting this illness, there are days when it just doesn’t seem real to her.
Christina says her condition is ‘getting worse’
“I’m angry at it still, and there’s a lot of us out there who are newly diagnosed that are not quite ready to accept this reality,” she told Hoda.
“I keep thinking that I’m just going to wake up from this nightmare, and it’s just going to be over,” she said.
“I want to do these things and I can’t, and it feels like I’m getting worse. And that’s disheartening. But then there’s like this voice inside of me that is like, ‘You’ve got to believe in a miracle. You’ve got to believe in another side of this.’”
Christina also hosts a podcast with former Sopranos star Jamie Lynn Sigler who has been battling MS for 23 years.
During a recent conversation, Jamie Lynn made similar remarks about her long battle with this terrible illness.
“Of course, I would love to not struggle in my body,” she said.
“I would love to not have a disability. I would love to be able to participate in my life the way I would choose to, but the way that I look at the world, and the way that I feel about people, I don’t know if it would be the same without this.”
Sigler has been battling MS since she was 20, and her public remarks offer the perspective of someone who can scarcely recall a time when the disease was not a part of their world.
Applegate, of course, is much newer to the experience, and it seems that her feelings are much more raw as a result.
But she’s already helped countless listeners with her wise but sardonic commentary on the challenges of chronic illness — and we’re sure she’ll continue to do so for many years to come.