Selma Blair is getting a lot of support since her MS diagnosis last year.
In a new interview, the 47-year-old actress opens up about how her diagnosis with the disease of the brain and spinal cord has affected her 7-year-old son, Arthur, and how his dad, Jason Bleik, has stepped up to help.
"We have a flexible custody arrangement and Jason is a huge part of Arthur’s life," Blair tells People of Bleik, whom she dated from 2010 to 2012. "He’s shown up in a big way. I’m really proud of us."
As for her son, Blair says that "he's had to endure a lot; he's seen a lot," but nevertheless remains a constant source of love and support to her.
"He says, 'Mommy’s not sick. Mommy’s brave.'" Blair recalls, before revealing that Arthur likes to have her visit his school.
"He said, 'I love when you come to school because you make the kids laugh and you answer all their questions,'" she says, adding that she's open with Arthur's peers about why she "walks and talks funny."
"I explain what’s happening and that my voice doesn’t hurt, and we have really decent exchanges," she continues. "I had no idea Arthur was proud of that. I thought 'I’m probably an embarrassment,' but to know I’m not was one of my proudest moments."
Though she's had to adapt her life since her diagnosis, Blair revealed that she still makes it a point to play with Arthur -- even if the games are a little different.
"We play dodgeball, but I don’t dodge because that could be so dangerous," she says, referencing her unsteady reflexes. "Maybe in the future for sure, but I don’t move side to side perfectly, and so I get to just hit him and then he throws it back to me, really chivalrously. And then I get to hit him again, and he thinks it’s amazing. It’s fun and it feels good to him. To me too."
Blair's desire to live her life to the fullest is something she plans to continue to focus on in the years to come.
"This is it. The only life we get," she says. "My disease isn’t a tragedy, but I tell myself, 'You’re going to live in a way that would be an example for yourself and your son.'"
The recent interview comes after Blair took to Instagram to share an old photo of herself lying in a bathtub with a heavy blanket over her. In the caption, Blair recalled "posting this at the time and kind of being made fun of by some news outlets" and taking the photo down.
"My skin wasn’t as tough yet. And I took the picture down," she wrote. "The thing is, the heavy towel helped. My body would go into a kind of palsy . I was embarrassed and tried to turn them into mouth clicks instead."
"But the energy had to go somewhere. The therapist recommended towels over me. It helped. She said it really helps her autistic patients. So I wanted to share. A warm bath with towels and a space heater in [the] bathroom so water doesn’t have to be so hot," Blair continued. "We are in this together. I don’t mind being ridiculed a bit anymore. We do what we need to do."
Watch the video below for more on Blair.
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