Jamie-Lynn Sigler Has Multiple Sclerosis

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 34, recently sat down for an interview with People, where she revealed that she was diagnosed with MS at the age of 20. The magazine quotes her as follows:

"I wasn't ready until now. You'd think that after all these years, somebody would be settled with something like this, but it's still hard to accept...I can't walk for a long period of time without resting. I cannot run. No superhero roles for me. 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." 

On covering up her symptoms while working on The Sopranos:

"I was still able to hide it really well. I didn't really need help necessarily, it was more like some pain and feeling uncomfortable but I could easily hide it. Sometimes all I needed was like five or 10 minutes to sit and recharge but I wouldn't ask, because I didn't want them to be suspicious...You can only handle so much by yourself. So the people I felt safest with, I confided in. [James Gandolfini] was very aware and protective in general, but especially after I told him. He was really awesome about it." 

On how she is now:

"Things are manageable now. It takes a fighting attitude to deal with all this. This disease can absolutely take over your life if you let it. I'm at a point in my life with my son, with my new marriage, it's a new me. I don't want to hold a secret where it feels like I have something to be ashamed of or have something to hide. It's part of me, but it's not who I am." 

Hi. My name is Jamie, and I have Multiple Scelrosis. This has been a part of me, that for many reasons I was terrified to share for the last 15 years since I was diagnosed..but I've finally found the strength to come forward and be ok with who I really am and trust that life will still have things to offer even though I have this disease. It has slowed me down and it can make things hard, but there is still a lot I CAN do. I hope I can be an example to anyone struggling out there to push through and past your circumstances. I want to thank @peoplemag for sharing my story in such a huge way and allowing me to reach out. Your publication always handles stories so beautifully, and mine is no exception. And an even bigger thank you to my husband, my son, my family and my friends (who are my family.)..You all have fiercely protected me over the years when I was too scared to share this publicly, for fear that everything would go away. You stood by me, helped me when I needed it, and always made me feel loved and worthy of things even when I felt less than and different. I really am a lucky girl and I can't wait to see what life has in store for me now that I can finally live my truth Love to all of you. XX💋Jamie 📷: by the wonderful @andrewsoutham

A photo posted by @jamielynnsigler on Jan 20, 2016 at 7:19am PST