Yahoo Lifestyle Jamie-Lynn Sigler Says Christina Applegate 'Allowed' Her Space to Feel Angry About MS (Exclusive)
For 15 years, Jamie-Lynn Sigler was hiding the fact that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 20—but now, at age 43, the mom of two sees MS through a different lens.
"There was a great state of denial in the beginning," the Sopranos alum exclusively tells Parade. "Getting diagnosed in the middle of being on the biggest show in the world and what was feeling like this huge momentum of my life and my career, [I felt like I was] sidetracked."
These days, Sigler—who has partnered with the pharmaceutical company Novartis, including on a three-step guide for people living with relapsing multiple sclerosis to ensure they are regularly reflecting on how they feel—says she's in a "deep state of gratitude."
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Being able to talk openly about the neurological autoimmune disease (which can affect motor skills, including the ability to walk with ease) has given her a new outlook. Everybody's MS is different, and she's learned that by speaking to others, including friend and MeSsy podcast co-host Christina Applegate, who revealed her own diagnosis with MS in 2021.
"Christina and I have different reactions to things, but I think that her reaction of being angry and really vocal about that allowed me to realize, 'Oh, I am allowed to feel that way sometimes,'" Sigler says, adding that she didn't give herself the space to feel anger about her condition until meeting Applegate.
"She really pulled that out of me," Sigler shares. "And then for me, I have 23 years of an experience with this that I'm able to offer her, and there's actually some beautiful gifts that are going to come from this."
Related: Jamie-Lynn Sigler Reveals She ‘Almost Died’ Following Surgery Complications Last Year
When it comes to living with MS—for which there is currently no cure—Sigler says, "I know it's hard, and it's frustrating to live in a body that you feel is betraying you every day. But there's also a perspective. I always say it's hardened my body, but it's softened my heart. It's slowed me down, but it slowed me down in a way where I'm not rushing through my life. I am taking things in a lot more."
She adds, "My perspective has shifted, and I think that there's a lot of beautiful gifts that have come from [Applegate] and from that."
Sigler takes Kesimpta, a B-cell treatment for RMS, but every person's body reacts differently to various medications—and the actress notes side effects, including life-threatening and fatal infections, injection reactions, lowered antibodies and other common ones like headaches.
Still, Sigler is in a good place. The former Broadway star, who is married to baseball pro Cutter Dykstra, is thankful for her family, and she's in a place where she's no longer afraid to ask for help when she needs it. The couple's 11-year-old son, Beau, overcame recent health challenges of his own after he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder, so Sigler feels grateful this holiday season.
"We had a lot of experiences as a family this summer," she reflects. "My son fell very ill over the summer. He's doing a lot better. I'm feeling great physically. I'm really happy with being on Kesimpta. It's been two years for me now. I'm feeling really empowered with how honest and open I can be. It feels really good to not be hiding any parts of myself. I think it's really enriched a lot of my relationships and my friendships because I think other people are wanting to feel like they can share because I share, and I'm excited for what's to come."
"I've really been surprised by life in a lot of ways," she adds. "And I think MS has taught me that I don't have a lot of control, and I'm kind of now into that."
Related: Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler Shares Her Secret to Help Others
