Emma Caulfield Ford opened up about being diagnosed with and living with multiple sclerosis during an interview with Vanity Fair that was published on Tuesday.
The 49-year-old actress sat down for a wide-ranging conversation and opened up about how living with the disease has affected her professional output and her personal life.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress opened the interview by recalling the first time she became aware of the effects of multiple sclerosis.
Be open: Emma Caulfield Ford opened up about being diagnosed with and living with multiple sclerosis during an interview with Vanity Fair that was published on Tuesday
Caulfield Ford said: “In 2010 I was working on Marti Noxon’s Gigantic and before I started that work I woke up one morning and the left side of my face felt like there were a million ants crawling above.”
She added: I went to see my acupuncturist, and he was like, ‘I don’t know, man. Maybe you have Bell’s palsy? like Bell’s palsy, honestly. You have been under a lot of stress.
The interpreter pointed out that the effects of the disease began to appear during a particularly turbulent period in his life.
She said: “It was literally the year from hell for me. There was so much going on. Really bad personal life stuff. So I said, “yeah, that’s probably it.”‘
Getting Through It: The performer pointed out that the effects of the disease began to show during a particularly turbulent time in his life; She is seen in March
The actress added that “there’s a lot going on.” A succession of just “You’re kidding me.” I was under enormous pressure. So could that have been the thing that triggered it? …There’s no way to know anything about any of this.
Caulfield Ford then remarked that she was told she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in an abrupt manner.
She recalls: “I had a missed call from the doctor’s office, so I called back. I’m just like, “What’s up?” I had five minutes off or whatever. And he said to me, “You have MS.” Just like that. It was like an out of body experience.
The performer said: “I’m like, ‘No, that’s not possible. I’m like, “What are you talking about?” He was very factual about it. “Well, you can get a second opinion.”
Caulfield Ford went on to say that she immediately became concerned for her health after receiving the call.
She said: “It was literally kind of a nightmare… Turns out it was something major. Then I was like, “I have to go to work now.” What do I do?”‘
Out of nowhere: Caulfield Ford then remarked that she had been told she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in an abrupt manner; she is seen in a 2003 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The performer, whose father also lived with multiple sclerosis, remarked that she had to do her best to overcome the effects of the disease.
‘MS has been in my sphere for a very, very long time… I knew enough to say ‘Oh my God’. I’m trying to keep my shit together and I have to get back to work. So that was my first experience of keeping everything really quiet and showing up and doing my job,’ she said.
Caulfield Ford recalled that, although she tried to keep the condition private, many of her friends and associates noticed its effects.
She said: ‘There were a lot of inconsistencies to the point where everyone around me was kind of like, ‘Basically we think [MS] is our best estimate.”‘
The actress went on to say that after starting to manage her condition, she made a conscious decision to focus more on her personal and professional life.
She recalls: “When I had the second MRI, I was like, ‘I’m not going to live my life as if I had something horrible. I will do what I have to do to take care of myself. . But I will not live in fear.
Moving forward: The actress went on to say that after starting to manage her condition, she made a conscious decision to focus more on her personal and professional life. She is seen in April
Caulfield Ford added: “I love the work. I don’t like not working. I’ve always been kind of a worker bee. I thrive in it.
She then said, “I didn’t want to give anyone the option of not hiring me. There are already a lot of reasons not to hire people, reasons that most actors don’t even know…I knew deep down that if you talk about it, you’re just going to stop working.’
The performer also opened up about working on WandaVision, in which she portrayed Sarah Proctor, and said the heat of the filming location presented a challenge for her.
She recalls: “I was physically trying to keep myself and feel normal when I was [on camera]. Everyone was melting, but it’s exponentially worse for someone with this. It becomes like, ‘Oh my God, am I suddenly going to go limp?’
Caulfield Ford stressed that the cast and production crew were not to blame for his challenges on set.
On set: The performer also spoke about working on WandaVision, in which she portrayed Sarah Proctor, and said the heat of the filming location presented a challenge for her.
‘They didn’t do anything wrong… They had no idea what was happening to me. They didn’t ask me anything like “I need to call my agent!” They just ask me to sit down and chat and do my dialogue. It’s not difficult, she said.
The actress went on to say that she was doing well and was determined to live as best she could while coping with the illness.
‘I am fine now. It’s a weird thing to say when you’re given a diagnosis like that, but honestly my attitude doesn’t crumble under fear of “what if” or “what can” or “what has” for others . I just have to keep going,” she said.
She added: “Now that I’m open about it, it’s easier for me to promote MS Society activities instead of just donating money.” This is precisely what speaks to me at the moment.
Caulfield Ford concluded by talking about her six-year-old daughter Knightley and said she wanted to set a good example for her child.
“I hope she just sees me as someone she can look up to…I hope she sees that I tried my best and when things were going well, I showed up.” I hope she is finally proud. That’s it. I hope she’s proud of me,” she said.
Caring Mom: Caulfield Ford concluded by talking about her six-year-old daughter Knightley and said she wanted to set a good example for her child; she is seen in 2019