Actress Selma Blair’s struggles with MS seen in documentary
In October 2018, Selma Blair announced to her fans that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incurable debilitating neurological condition in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves.
The new documentary “Introducing, Selma Blair” details the American actress’ journey with the condition and follows her as she undertakes stem cell treatment.
The film shows Blair at her rawest, depleted by chemotherapy and consumed by her condition. Director Rachel Fleit said the crew worked around Blair’s symptoms.
“I was very much aware that my subject was also not feeling well, you know, so we wouldn’t do 12-hour days, we’d get these short chunks of time together.
“She’d let us know when it was time to go but no matter what the state was, the crew was there, Selma was available and open and willing to film which was amazing,” she said.
Blair had advice for people who have recently been diagnosed with the condition.
“Don’t just say, ‘Oh it’s not happening,’ but have patience. This took a while to build this nervous system in you. It might not go away overnight but there are disease modifiers . ... Patience and try not to worry. This is your body giving you a gift sadly of telling you ‘slow down.’ ”
“It absolutely is a huge moment,” said Julie Eberhardt, a Chicagoan who had the transplant for MS in 2018, and is active in the HSCT communities on Facebook and Instagram.
“Despite the fact that there are so many normal people willing to tell our stories, not a lot of people tend to pay attention,” said Eberhardt. “But if a celebrity’s talking about it, they’ll listen. And honestly, HSCT is a really interesting story; you just have to get their butts in the seats for five minutes and make them listen.”
A single mom, Blair, now 49, rallies to play a hilarious game of dodgeball with her now 10-year-old son, Arthur Saint Bleick. But then, every bit of carefully conserved energy spent, she lets herself collapse on the floor.
“Introducing, Selma Blair” is currently in limited release in theaters and streaming on Discovery+.