‘Can she still take care of me?’: Christina Applegate’s daughter watches helplessly as MS leaves mom unable to walk down hallway

Christina Applegate has opened up about how her multiple sclerosis diagnosis has deeply affected her 14-year-old daughter, Sadie. The Dead to Me actress revealed on her MeSsy podcast that her battle with MS has “broken” her teenage daughter, who watches her mother struggle with basic daily activities.

Speaking with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate explained that before her 2021 diagnosis, Sadie only knew her as “healthy and a runner and a Pelotoner and a dancer.” She described how her daughter was initially “stoic” about the diagnosis but has struggled more as time has passed and the reality of the disease has set in.

The actress shared heartbreaking details about how Sadie watches her inability to perform simple tasks. “I see her look at me when I’m in bed and can’t quite move, or I want to go say goodnight to her in her room, but I can’t quite get down the hallway for whatever reason that my legs aren’t working that day,” Applegate said. She explained that her daughter asks her to make food and go downstairs, saying “Can you please go down and make my food because you’re the only one who can make it?” When Applegate protests that she cannot make it down the steps, she still does it anyway because she knows “she’s checking in to make sure, can she still take care of me?”

MS diagnosis came during difficult time for family

Applegate noted that her diagnosis came during an already challenging period for her family. “I was diagnosed in 2021, so we had just gone through COVID and no school and all this stuff, and now mommy can’t do all the things that she used to be able to do,” she said. The actress described seeing the pain in her daughter’s eyes as she watches her mother’s capabilities decline.

The condition has significantly impacted Applegate’s daily life, causing severe mobility issues and chronic pain. She has been hospitalized over 30 times since her diagnosis and now requires a cane for walking. The actress previously shared that she can barely get to the bathroom some days and experiences intense pain that leaves her screaming in bed.

Despite the challenges, Applegate praised her daughter’s supportive nature. She described how Sadie helps her when they go out in public, knowing her mother has anxiety about being seen. “When we’re out, she knows I’m having such a hard time because I have such anxiety about being out. And she’s always got my arm,” Applegate said. “She’s always trying to help me through and help me with my cane and all this stuff.”

The actress was diagnosed with MS while filming the final season of Dead to Me, which caused production to shut down for five months. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing communication problems between the brain and body. There is currently no cure for the condition, which affects approximately 1 million people in the United States.