Actor Christina Applegate has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a development she announced on Twitter Monday night. She received the news “a few months ago,” and said it had “been a strange journey” since.
“But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition,” Applegate wrote. “It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some asshole blocks it.”
Multiple sclerosis — currently estimated to affect one million people over the age of 18 in the United States — is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, potentially impairing motor skills and, often, creating problems with mobility. While there is no cure, there are treatments available that can help ease and manage symptoms.
Applegate, whose recent projects include Dead to Me and savage red-carpet interviews, was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. She had a double mastectomy, followed by surgery to remove her ovaries and Fallopian tubes in 2017. In a follow-up tweet, she asked for privacy as she “go[es] through this thing,” writing, “As one of my friends that has MS said ‘we wake up and take the indicated action.’ And that’s what I do.”