We’re often told that we should avoid taking negative encounters with strangers too personally because we don’t know what each other is going through, and that seems just as true for those in the public eye as it is for the people we meet on the street.
For instance, the cases of Chadwick Boseman and Norm Macdonald remind us that people can struggle with a scary and disheartening illness for years with almost nobody knowing about it.
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And as we can learn from Selma Blair and Fran Drescher , that journey gets even harder if much of it is spent not even knowing what you’re suffering from.
But when public figures do share that information with the world, their journeys happen with the support of their fans and what they’ve been going through can provide a lot of context for the milestones they hit along the way.
For years, TV star Christina Applegate has been very open about the twists and turns she’s taken on the road to protecting her health.
As we’ve previously discussed , this included a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and procedures to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes after she learned her genes put her at risk of ovarian cancer.
But in August of 2021, she made her fans aware of another step in what has become an increasingly difficult journey.
That time saw her tweet out that a few months prior, she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
According to People , she said , “It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some [expletive] blocks it.”
And while Applegate said she’s received a great deal of support from others with this condition, it’s clear that MS loomed large over a recent milestone that would normally be a big cause for celebration.
On November 25, Applegate tweeted, “Yup. I turned 50 today. And I have MS. It’s been a hard one.”
Her recent challenges also led her to send a dedication of love to everyone else out there who is hurting right now.
In her words , “May we find that strength to lift our heads up. Mine currently is on my pillow. But I try.”
Her message attracted well-wishes from friends and fans alike, particularly one who knows all too well what she’s going through.
According to People , Applegate’s The Sweetest Thing costar Selma Blair wrote, “Loving you always. Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love.”
Although Blair had recently gone into remission for MS around the same time Applegate announced her own diagnosis, that was only possible after three years of her own public struggles with the disease.
Applegate soon responded, saying, “Love you sister. Our kids are so weird.”
h/t: People
