Christina Applegate shares inspiring message on 50th birthday after multiple sclerosis diagnosis

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Christina Applegate marked her birthday with a message to her fans months after revealing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

The actress turned 50 on Thanksgiving Day and wrote on Twitter: "Yup. I turned 50 today. And I have MS. It's been a hard one."

"Sending so much love to all of you this day," she added. "Many are hurting today, and I am thinking of you. May we find that strength to lift our heads up. Mine currently is on my pillow. But I try."

The actress first shared news of her diagnosis in August.

"Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey," the "Anchorman" star wrote on Twitter. "But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a--hole blocks it."

In a follow-up tweet, she quoted a friend who has the illness as well before asking her fans for privacy on the matter.

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"As one of my friends that has MS said ‘we wake up and take the indicated action’. And that’s what I do," she concluded. "So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing.  Thank you xo"

Christina Applegate attends the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.  (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society describes MS as "an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body." The cause of the disease is still unknown but it is believed to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. The organization notes that there are an estimated 1 million people living with MS in the United States right now. 

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Applegate isn’t the first celebrity to share an MS diagnosis publicly in recent years. Applegate’s announcement was preceded by her "The Sweetest Thing" co-star Selma Blair, "Sopranos" actress Jamie Lynn Sigler, former talk-show host Montell Williams and reality star Jack Osbourne.