It’s been 22 years since Jamie-Lynn Sigler learned she had multiple sclerosis. In the years since being diagnosed, the former star of “The Sopranos” has taken on a host of projects including roles in theater, podcast and television while speaking out about and treating her MS. Now, her next venture will combine the two.
On March 19, Sigler’s new weekly podcast “MeSsy” — which she co-hosts with Christina Applegate, who also has MS — will debut.
The two actors first connected in 2021, when Applegate was diagnosed with MS. “I wanted to give her tools and things that I’ve learned that have helped me,” Sigler told People about their friendship.
Applegate recalled to the magazine: “We would talk on the phone for two hours, and we’d be laughing and crying, and we were like, ‘This is helping us. Let’s record this. Let’s do it.’”
The podcast promises vulnerable conversations between the co-hosts and their roster of guests, which includes friends, co-stars and “the people (who) keep them going through the messiness of life.”
While Sigler initially kept quiet about her diagnosis — she revealed it 15 years after the fact — she’s now an MS advocate, candid about the toll it’s taken on her and her loved ones. Here’s everything to know about Sigler’s MS journey.
What illness does Jamie-Lynn Sigler have?
Sigler has multiple sclerosis, a disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. These attacks damage the protective coverings surrounding the nerve fibers called myelin, which causes the brain to struggle to communicate with the rest of the body, per the Mayo Clinic.
Experts aren’t sure what causes MS, nor is there a cure for it. But they do know MS looks different in every person. “Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or ambulate at all,” the Mayo Clinic explains….
Read the full article here
