Jamie-Lynn Sigler on Living with MS: ‘I’m Grateful for My MS’
Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler was honored at the 24th Race to Erase MS gala on May 5. Last year, she revealed that she has been living with the debilitating condition multiple sclerosis since she was 20 years old. Onstage, she gave a very heartfelt speech, which was recorded on a shaky phone and later posted on her Instagram account.
She started her speech with a powerful quote: “I am grateful to have MS.”
Jamie-Lynn married baseball player Cutter Dykstra in 2016, and they have one son together, Beau Kyle, who was born in 2013. Dealing with MS and a young child can be a tough task, but Jamie doesn’t dwell on the negatives, saying: “I live with hope. I have no choice but to.”
Jamie-Lynn became well known for her role as Meadow Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos in 1999, a year before being diagnosed with MS. She kept her diagnosis private for years, a fact she touched on briefly during her speech.
She opened up by saying: “My biggest fear was to be open with my disease. I thought it would mean things would be taken away from me and I would be labeled as sick or unable, but it’s actually freed me from my own confinements and led me on a true road to healing as a person, not just my disease.”
Of course, Jamie-Lynn has plans to continue her career but has to reaffirm this to herself every day because, as she bluntly puts it, “there were days not so long ago when I didn’t think I could go on.”
She added, “I want to be back onstage singing on Broadway again, and I want to be back in this room for the Golden Globes again one day.”
Despite the tough times, Jamie-Lynn now appears to have the mindset to continue her battle with MS. As she said, “MS does not define me, but with it I have learned to define myself.”
In other entertainment news, Channing Tatum Reveals That Jenna Dewan Tatum Knew He Was the One First
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