Lifestyle Health Selma Blair Reflects on the First Time She Noticed Her 'Leg Was Numb' Before Her MS Diagnosis The actress, who was walking in Christian Siriano’s fashion show at the time, said she “couldn’t feel the ground or how to lift my left leg” By Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta Twitter Julie Mazziotta is the Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 19, 2021 04:18 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Selma Blair walking in Christian Siriano's fashion show. Photo: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Selma Blair is reflecting on the early days of her battle with multiple sclerosis. The actress, 48, was diagnosed with the difficult disease — in which the immune system eats at the nerves, causing pain and numbness in the body — in Aug. 2018. But one of the first major signs of her illness came earlier that year in February, when she walked in friend Christian Siriano's fashion show during New York Fashion Week. "3 years ago. My dearest two pals came to watch the Siriano show. I walked that day. In the show. Noticing for first time, my leg was numb," Blair wrote on Instagram on Thursday, along with photos her friends took of her behind the scenes. The Cruel Intentions star said she was internally freaking out as she walked. "When I first stepped out. I couldn't feel the ground or how to lift my left leg," she said. "My brain was trying to compute. As I walked the runway, stunned." Selma Blair walking in Christian Siriano's fashion show. Peter White/Getty Blair said that despite her concern, the day was still a happy one. "It hardly dampened my day though," she said. "[Her friends] Art and Carolyn shot these favorite frames of mine. In that incredible space in NYC. After the show was done. And what a show it was. The greats." Selma Blair Publicly Revealed Her MS Diagnosis so People Didn't 'Think That I Was Drunk' After that day in Feb. 2018, Blair's illness worsened. She began having difficulty speaking and lost the ability to fully use her left leg, and now requires a cane to walk. But after undergoing treatments over the last few years — including a stem cell transplant and an "aggressive" course of chemotherapy to restart her immune system — she's starting to improve. In January, Blair joyfully announced that she's finally able to go horseback riding again, after her MS held her back from enjoying one of her favorite activities. Blair had purchased a horse named Nibbles just before her diagnosis, and soon found that she was having trouble riding him. "I couldn't feel my bum or left leg on my horse. The proprioception issues, inability to sit still, spasms, twitches. Jerks. Dystonia increased. I just laughed and thought getting older is impossible!" she wrote. "But it was MS and it got too big and I had to take a break until now." With her illness improving, Blair is relearning how to ride. "I am at the beginning. Still. And I cannot stop smiling. I cannot," she wrote. "When I am at the barn. I finally have the white unicorn I cannot believe is in my life and I want to rise to the occasion."