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Emma Caulfield by Super Festivals from

15 Inspiring Famous People with Multiple Sclerosis

 We heap a lot of pressure on celebrities yet outside their jobs they are ordinary people who sometimes have challenges that most of us cannot comprehend. Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic neurologic disease affecting the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) this means that people who suffer from this disease may have a  variety of life-altering symptoms, including speech difficulties, numbness or weakness, blurred vision, and more.

With the above description, it is hard to imagine how one would go on about their day and even career and manage to keep going. Despite the fact that MS can be a difficult condition to manage, many inspiring people have been diagnosed with MS and have gone on to lead successful lives despite it.

Let’s take a look at 15 inspiring famous people with multiple sclerosis

1. Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate by Gage Skidmore from

You might remember Christina Applegate from the famous Netflix series “dead to me”, she plays a modern mum with a best friend who gets into a lot of trouble together. In 2022 a fan tweeted her and asked her about her 2022 plans and she responded by saying “cure for MS maybe?” She must be as badass as her role in “dead to me” because she’s also a breast cancer survivor. She’s described her journey as strange and tough but she strives to pull through and takes time to spread awareness. 

2. Emma Caulfield

Imagine living in a world where you feel pressured to hide what you’re going through, to have to lie to your colleagues all while going through the toughest time. Emma Caulfield made the decision to go public after she grew weary of having to lie to people around her, she decided to share the news with the world which was influenced by the fact that she has a 6-year-old daughter and didn’t want to keep the disease a secret from her.  She was also concerned that trying to keep the disease a secret from her coworkers while working in the sweltering heat of a Los Angeles summer might actually make her condition worse.

Caulfield found out that she had MS in 2010 after she woke up one morning and felt like there were a million ants crawling on the left side of her face. She underwent an MRI at her acupuncturist’s recommendation, and MS was soon identified.

3. Montel Williams

Montel Williams, a well-known talk show host, revealed to the world in 1999 that he had been diagnosed with MS. Williams was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) at the age of 43. He was in excruciating agony and had serious depression. He committed himself to learn everything he could about MS with the love and encouragement of his family. To aid in funding the study of the condition, he established the Montel Williams MS Foundation.

In 2000, he established the Montel Williams MS Foundation, which has already raised millions of dollars for MS research and offers financial aid and other resources to those who are afflicted with the disease. Williams has also advocated for people to take charge of their health by spreading knowledge about MS and other chronic illnesses and using his position to do so.

4. Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, a star of The Sopranos, has had MS for 21 years. In coping with her condition, she was able to keep acting (and still does) and give birth to two children. Jame was given an MS diagnosis in 2002 when she was 20 years old.

She has since been a supporter of MS research and education, sharing her experiences in public and attempting to raise money for the cause. Sigler has also made use of her status to advocate for the public’s understanding of illnesses that go undiagnosed and has encouraged others to get the help they need with their own health issues.

5. Anne Romney

Ann Romney by Gage Skidmore from

Romney has been very open about her condition. She said it started with numbness on her right side. She initially thought it was just a pinched nerve, but as other symptoms like cloudy thinking, unstable gait, and extreme tiredness made it impossible for her to get out of bed, she became concerned that it might be more severe. She called her doctor brother Jim, who advised her to consult a neurologist. Romney was given the relapsing-remitting MS diagnosis after an MRI revealed lesions in the middle of her brain.

Her life dramatically changed and at the time she was diagnosed, there was little medical progress in regard to MS. Nevertheless, she powered through and now uses her platform to push for the use of reflexology and horseback riding as additional and alternative MS treatments. Many MS patients have found encouragement and hope in Romney’s advocacy work, which has contributed to the awareness-raising effort concerning the disease.

In spite of the difficulties associated with having MS, Romney has remained a prominent public figure and has made use of her position to promote patient care and research.

6. Selma Blair

Selma Blair hasn’t been afraid to talk about what it’s like to live with an autoimmune condition since she made the public aware of her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses in October 2018. Following an incident in which she was taken off an international flight on a stretcher after consuming alcohol while taking prescription medicine, the actress had spoken out in June 2018 about reaching two years of sobriety. After giving birth to her son Arthur in 2011, she also disclosed that she had experienced postpartum depression for four years.

She has additionally advocated for increased funding for research and patient treatment while bringing attention to MS through her platform. Blair has kept up her acting career despite the difficulties of having MS, and many others have found courage and resiliency in her.

7. Jack Osbourne

Jack Osbourne by David Shankbone from

Jack Osbourne first noticed numbness in his leg in 2012, which lasted for around three months and what he believed to be a pinched nerve. His visit to the doctor for an irritated optic nerve occurred around the same time. His eye and limb issues were connected, it turned out. Osbourne was diagnosed with sclerosis when he was only 26/ Also around nine years sober at the time and only 3 weeks after his daughter had been born. He felt as if his life was a total mess and questioned sobriety, but despite his diagnosis, he did not give up.

Osbourne has also made use of his platform to encourage people to seek help and support for their own health issues as well as to increase awareness of the difficulties associated with living with MS.

8. Neil Cavuto

Cavuto has had cancer, multiple sclerosis, and open-heart surgery five years ago. Cavuto shared that he’s always grateful for his family, success and recovery as well. He’s had moments when his leg would shake while he was on air reporting and that didn’t stop him, he’s never been ashamed of showing himself even in his down moments.

He has also served as an example to many MS patients by showing them that they can still lead productive lives despite their illnesses. Despite the difficulties of having MS, Cavuto has continued to work as a television anchor and commentator. His advocacy work has aided in raising awareness of MS and in advancing research and patient treatment for those who have the illness.

9. Alan Osmond

Alan Osmond was first diagnosed with MS back in 1987.  But, Alan’s case is not so common because he has primary-progressive MS, a rare form of the disease that causes a slow deterioration of neurological function. The impression that his right side “gave out” was one of his initial symptoms. Over three years of travelling to see doctors across the country later, they identified the issue.

Since then, he has worked to raise MS awareness and established the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund in memory of his deaf mother.

10. David Osmond

David, Alan’s son, never suspected that he had MS when he began exhibiting the initial symptoms because Alan’s type of MS is unusual, however. But soon, David began experiencing visual issues and excruciating discomfort in December 2005.  A similarly gifted singer with a bright career in the music business, he thought his career was over.

Years later, David Osmond acknowledged that having MS was one of the best things to ever happen to him since it provided him with a perspective on life that he otherwise wouldn’t have had. David is always working to inspire those who are suffering from the same illness to never give up. 

11. Trevor Bayne

Trevor Bayne by

After winning the Daytona 500 at age 20 as the youngest driver in NASCAR history in 2011, Trevor Bayne was diagnosed with MS in 2013. In 2018, he retired from racing and launched a prosperous coffee shop in Nashville. He claimed that he had never intended to give up racing permanently and that he constantly felt a tremendous pull towards it whenever he turned on a race or similar event. In 2022, he started competing again.

12. Teri Garr

American actress and comedian Teri Garr has made appearances in movies like “Tootsie” and “Young Frankenstein.” She disclosed in 2002 that she had been diagnosed with MS, which has had a big impact on her health and career. Though Terri received her diagnosis in 1999 she started displaying symptoms in 1983 even after numerous doctor appointments.  In 1983 Garr went for a run in Central Park in New York; however, as she tripped, she experienced severe, searing pain in her arm. More than two-thirds of MS sufferers list pain as a symptom.

She continues to be vocal about her life living with MS and has shared tips about how she manages her health. She’s discovered that doing regular Pilates exercises three times a week is one thing that helps as well as avoiding stress and eating a balanced diet.

13. Clay Walker

Clay Walker by cliff1066 from

Clay Walker’s symptoms started showing just a few minutes before one of his biggest performances, as he warmed up backstage for his performance, he picked up his guitar pick and began strumming. The pick hit the ground. He tried to play after getting it back. Once more, he lost control of it.

Though his life seemed perfect, he had a lot of other challenges. Along with growing symptoms, he also had numbness, blurred vision, and right-side weakness. At first, he and his wife assumed that Clay had a tumour but they soon found out that he had MS.  Walker has maintained a career in the music business and developed into a spokesperson for MS research and always echoes that he’s very grateful. 

14. Art Alexakis

Art explained that he found out he had MS after he felt a twinge in his right arm that he had previously ignored. After an MRI was done he was officially diagnosed with MS in 2019, he’s expressed that he felt as if he had been given a death sentence, a specialist confirmed to him that his balance was going to get worse as he grew older and that he would probably need a cane. The condition meant that he had to stay sober since he was battling drug addiction, additionally, he’s had to keep off sugar and maintain a balanced and healthy diet.

15. Tamia Hill

Tamia by WBLS from Wikimedia Commons

Tamia began singing at a young age and has since released a number of albums, married NBA player Grant Hill, and had kids. She was travelling, creating a home as a wife and mother, and generally living the good life. Nevertheless, she and her husband Grant made her MS diagnosis public in 2003. Tamia was initially hesitant to disclose that she had multiple sclerosis since she didn’t understand what it was.

She first overextended herself trying to balance motherhood and her work. Hill went to the hospital after she began to have extreme, unexplained exhaustion and numbness in her hands and feet, but it took three doctors, a strained muscle misdiagnosis, and multiple MRIs before she was eventually diagnosed with MS in 2003 at the age of 28.

In conclusion, the experiences of these 15 inspirational well-known people with multiple sclerosis serve as an example of the fortitude, resiliency, and tenacity of people who must overcome great odds. Each of these individuals has leveraged their platform to spread awareness, push for research, and inspire others despite the many challenges of having this chronic condition.

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