Parenting children while living with multiple sclerosis isn't easy, but it's something that Jamie-Lynn Sigler copes every day. And when she appeared on a podcast recently, she opened up about what being a mom with MS is really like — and what she thinks the future will look like for her and her kids.
Jamie-Lynn appeared on the 'Bathroom Chronicles' podcast
Hosted by Kimberly Van Der Beek, the podcast featured Jamie-Lynn as a guest on one of its earliest episodes.
While chatting with Kimberly and her co-host, Peggy Rometo, Jamie-Lynn shared her positive outlook on life, despite her diagnosis.
"I can't give up. I don't want to give up on life. I have beautiful children. I have my own dreams and aspirations," she said.
She is hopeful that her children get to witness "miraculous healing"
"I think it would be really cool for my kids to witness miraculous healing too, how they could take that throughout their life," she said. "I have, like, my vision that I always hold on to, that I try to see when I meditate or anything, and it's always just me running with them."
That vision means seeing herself "just running in front of them in their joy and their happiness because they talk about it all the time. It's all they want."
Jamie-Lynn is a mom of two
She and husband Cutter Dykstra have two children together: sons Beau, 9, and Jack, 5. While it certainly can't be easy to parent with MS, she's in good company with other Hollywood moms who are on the same path, including Selma Blair and Christina Applegate.
She first found out about her diagnosis when she was 20
In 2016, she told People that she'd been secretly battling MS for a long time — including when she starred on The Sopranos — and that even though for a while she'd been able to stay symptom free, the disease was starting to catch up with her.
"I can’t walk for a long period of time without resting. I cannot run. No superhero roles for me," she said at the time. "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."
It seems like she's determined to live a full life
And those who follow her on Instagram know that recently, that's included a trip to India, where she lived in an ashram for a week.
Here's hoping Jamie-Lynn's kids get to experience that miraculous healing their mom has been talking about. There's no doubt they're already witnessing her strength.
