This past Tuesday, Christina Applegate took to Twitter to share both shocking and sad news.
She’s been diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative disease, multiple sclerosis (MS).
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The 49-year-old is handling the news bravely with words of hope. This has been applauded by fans, fellow MS suffers, and celeb pals.
Keep reading to see her tweets.
The *Married With Children* actress has always been open about her health struggles over the years.
In 2008, the star revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. While the cancer was in the early stages, she decided to undergo a double mastectomy .
Then, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2017.
This was done as a precautionary measure having learned that she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation that causes a heightened risk of developing cancer.
“My cousin passed away from ovarian cancer in 2008. I could prevent that. That’s how I’ve taken control of everything,” she told Today .
Now, it’s been revealed that the *Dead to Me* actress has multiple sclerosis.
This is an autoimmune disease that attacks healthy tissue in the central nervous system. Symptoms include muscle spasms, dizziness, and chronic pain.
She shared this on Twitter on Tuesday, writing, “Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS.”
“It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition,” she continued.
“It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some [expletive] blocks it.”
In another tweet, she wrote, “As one of my friends that has MS said ‘we wake up and take the indicated action.’ And that’s what I do.”
She then asked fans for privacy: “So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo.”
After going public with her diagnosis, she received so much support from fans.
“Welcome to the disability community, Christina. Sending love snd solidarity,” one wrote .
“You’ve been one of my favorite people to follow, in terms of personal strength and your grace in life,” added another .
She received lots of support from fellow MS sufferers.
“I am so sorry. 19 years for me. It’s a road but it’s not always as bumpy as it seems at first,” tweeted this user .
“You’ll educate yourself & family, you’ll be scared, you’ll be in denial,”Then, all of a sudden you don’t think about it all the time. It’s just you. Hang in there!”
Selma Blair, who has been extremely candid about her MS struggles, also reached out.
The Legally Blonde actress was diagnosed a few years ago and has made so many great strides in recovery since then.
“Loving you always. Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love,” she wrote.
The National MS society thanked her for going public with her diagnosis.
“Thank you, Christina, for your courage in opening up about living with MS,” they wrote . “We all appreciate the awareness that you are bringing to the disease. Please know that we at the MS Society are here to help in whatever way that we can.”
Now it’s our turn to applaud the star for being so candid.
In April 2018, she told People that she feels a responsibility to be open with fans about her health.
“If you do have a voice to do it, which we [as actors] are fortunate to have this platform to be like, ‘I am just like you, I can’t sleep,” she said.
That last part was in reference to her battle with insomnia.
“I feel like crap a lot of the time because of this, but I want you to feel okay with it and not feel shame about it and get information about it so that you can have a better quality of life,” she said .
