Jamie-Lynn Sigler: 'I Have Multiple Sclerosis'

Jamie-Lynn Sigler has been battling with Multiple Sclerosis for 14 years now. She had this health condition when she was 20 years old. Though it has been a huge struggle for her, she has learned to accept and deal with it.

In medical terminology, Multiple Sclerosis is also known as "Encephalomyelitis Disseminate". It affects the spinal cord and the brain. At an early stage, the symptoms are numbness, weakness, blurred vision and tingling sensation. For some people, they could see signs such as urinary problems, muscle stiffness and unorganized thinking. This is a difficult health problem to handle, but there are treatments that could get rid of the indications and slow down the advancement of the disease, says Web MD.

According to the National Post, Sigler bravely opened up the issue of having MS. She courageously stepped out and shared to the world her battle against this rampant illness. She admitted that she has been living with it for quite a long time.

Her statements were quoted by People, "I can't walk for a long period of time without resting. I cannot run. No superhero roles for me," Sigler says, laughing. "Stairs? I can do them but they're not the easiest. When I walk, I have to think about every single step, which is annoying and frustrating."

Decades ago, she has been hiding her situation and it is quite understandable. She is a strong woman, because she manages to carry on without anyone suspecting that she was suffering from any sickness. There was a time when she needed a few minutes to sit down and rest but she never asks for help.

At first, Sigler was reluctant about letting others know about her MS. Later on, she faced the consequences as no matter how hard the truth can be, it needs to come out and sooner or later, people would eventually come to know.

Sigler said that her condition while it is difficult to manage, shouldn't keep you from getting to where you want to be or to stop you from doing the things you need to do. With proper medication, she knows she'll come by.

The actress believes that when she finally made the decision to admit that she has MS, it is not for people to have pity on her, but for the others who are like her, battling with this illness. She wants them to know that they're not alone and that beyond this illness, life can still be wonderful.