Laughter Through Challenges
- Christina Applegate, 54, is proving that a sense of humor is the best medicine, sharing a playful Instagram video of herself in bed with bold red lipstick, joking with hairstylist, and close friend, David Stanwell while living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Applegate was diagnosed with MS in August 2021. The disease impacts the central nervous system and can cause numbness or tingling in your limbs. Everyday activities such as taking a shower and walking up stairs prove challenging for Applegate due to her diagnosis.
- The “Married with Children” star also bravely battled breast cancer after a 2008 diagnosis. She underwent a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts).
- Stand-up comedian Jesus Trejo echoes the belief that laughter can be healing, telling SurvivorNet, “The effects of it just reverberate through your body, and can change an already bad situation into a better one.”
- Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, says that emotional well-being is linked to a better quality of life during health challenges.
The 54-year-old breast cancer survivor, who has been battling MS since 2021, posted the fun footage on Instagram this week, showing her with styled hair, bold makeup, and a colorful robe while sitting cross-legged in bed.
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Applegate also shared the hilarious clip on her Instagram story, asking fans whether she was looking “glam.”
Her hairstylist also joined in on the fun, posting sarcastically to his story, writing, “We have zero fun together.”
In the footage, Applegate is captured making flirtatious expressions while Stanwell is heard saying, “These lips are killing me.”
Applegate is seen in a messy bedroom, with a green alien water bottle resting on her bedside table, saying, “I’m trying to swallow a pill,” while trying not to laugh.
After seeming to swallow her pill, she then starts making playful faces for the camera, flaunting her glossy red lips.
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Fans were quick to praise Applegate for looking so “fabulous,” with one asking her in the comments, “What are you doing to look so healthy?”
Another fan commented, “God I love you. I love seeing you like this happy and well. I can’t wait to see you back on the screens again we need you.”
When a third fan asked what type of lip stick brand Applegate recomends, she replied, “Yes, why I said it’s that one Billie Eilish used haha sacheu [SACHEU beauty].
“It goes on and then you have to peel. Which is why I was weird laughing. I was trying to have it dry. It’s incredible.”
Applegate also admitted in the comments that she was watching the show “Farmer Wants a Wife.”
This glamorous hangout with her stylist isn’t the first time she’s been in bed for some fun photos, as two years ago Stanwell shared a photo of him enjoying caviar in bed with Applegate and her daughter, Sadie.
“Hair color and caviar parties in bed I mean we are in Hollywood… love ya girls #christinaapplegate & Sadie,” he wrote alongside a photo he posted.
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Christina Applegate’s MS Journey
Applegate began experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis long before she had answers. She actually said she felt off balance during a dance sequence that occurred way back in season one of her dark comedy “Dead to Me.” She later noticed her aptitude for tennis started to fail.
“I wish I had paid attention,” she previously told The New York Times. “But who was I to know?”
It took several years of worsening tingling and numbness in her extremities before her diagnosis arrived while on set. This life-altering realization wouldn’t stop Applegate from finishing her portrayal of character Jen Harding, but she did need a break. Production of the final season ceased for about five months as she began treatment.
“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” Applegate said. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”
Applegate admits she’ll never fully “accept” her condition, but she did learn how to work with it. And she’s previously talked about how the show was a cathartic outlet and safe space.
“I had an obligation to Liz [Feldman] and to Linda [Cardellini], to our story,” she said of the show’s writer and her co-star respectively. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.’”
Applegate wasn’t able to work as hard or as long or in the heat without her body giving out, but she found pride in her self-sufficiency. With the help of some adjustments to the schedule, she powered through. Nicole Vassell, a writer for The Independent, says other programs should learn from the way Applegate’s “physical changes [were] seamlessly incorporated into the show.”
“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” Applegate said. “I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”
On an episode of the “MeSsy” podcast last year, Applegate shared that she has naturally lost those 40 pounds without using any anti-obesity medication. She jokingly added that the weight loss came as a side effect of managing stomach issues related to the medication she takes while navigating her MS journey.
Understanding Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to communicate to the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society lays out the different types of multiple sclerosis:
- Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the US, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
- Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
- Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This almost transitional form of MS progresses from RRMS to PPMS.
In addition to balance issues, numbness, and tingling in the limbs, as Applegate experienced, other common MS symptoms include vision and bladder control problems. Mood changes and mental and physical fatigue are other symptoms people living with MS may experience, according to the National Institute of Health.
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The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains this disease as: “An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, [MS] can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted.” Investigators of the disease believe it to be an autoimmune disease.
Many people fighting MS experience muscle weakness and difficulty with coordination and balance, so it’s absolutely incredible and encouraging that Applegate was able to present an award in front of so many people at the Emmys.
Currently, there is no cure for MS, although some people treat the disease using chemotherapy, medications, or steroid drugs.
Laughter & Positivity Through Challenges
It’s interesting to note, that according to the National Library of Medicine, research has shown that the amount of pain medication needed for patients is reduced after they watch funny movies.
And perhaps laughter, like Christina Applegate makes sure to have in her life, could also help when someone is dealing with the pain that comes amid a health challenge, whether it’s MS or even cancer.
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The importance of positivity amid tough times has been seen through stand-up comedian Jesus Trejo in Long Beach, California.
Trejo became a caregiver for both of his parents after his mother was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and his father was later faced with colon cancer. But instead of panicking and focusing on the devastating nature of the situation, the only child stepped up to care for his parents with love and laughter.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Trejo opened up about how he put his career aside to care for his parents in their time of need while making time to smile along the way.
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“The only advice I have for anyone watching this is laugh, and laugh often, laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself seriously. Things are already bad. Because once you do that, it’s a game-changer,””Trejo told SurvivorNet.
He also says the laughter itself might be brief, but “the effects of it just reverberate through your body, and can change an already bad situation into a better one.”
Focusing on hope, and maintaining a positive attitude amid a health battle can always be helpful.
Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet experts points to how a positive mindset can impact a cancer prognosis.
Dr. Zuri Murrell of Cedars-Sinai told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow.”
“But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
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Meanwhile, Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also says it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
“We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes,” Dr. Chase said in an earlier interview.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with MS or are concerned you have the chronic disease due to symptoms you’re experiencing, consider asking your doctor the following questions.
- Although there’s no cure for MS, which treatment option to manage my symptoms do you recommend for me?
- Are there any potential side effects of MS treatment?
- What if the treatment to manage symptoms doesn’t work?
- Will exercise or therapy help my symptoms?
- Are there any MS support groups you recommend to help me cope?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
