Selma Blair says her MS is in remission

Actress Selma Blair says that her multiple sclerosis (MS) is ‘in remission’ after she had hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

“It took about a year after stem cell [treatment] for the inflammation and lesions to really go down, so I was reluctant to talk about it because I felt this need to be more healed. I don’t have any new lesions forming,” she told a Television Critics Association gathering. “There’s still maintenance, treatment and glitches, and wonderful things. Cognitively, I’m very changed and that’s been the harder part.”

The Cruel Intentions star was diagnosed with MS in 2018 and has shared her journey with her 2.5 million Instagram followers.

HSCT involves harvesting a patient’s stem cells, then giving them chemotherapy to ‘destroy’ the faulty immune system, then regrowing it using the stem cells. It may be able to stop the progression of MS, but cannot undo any damage already done.

It is available on the NHS only for a very select criteria. Find out more about HSCT.