Ailing Christina Applegate’s daughter in shock health battle

Christina Applegate, who is dealing with multiple sclerosis, has revealed her 13-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with a rare health condition.

Christina Applegate has revealed that her 13-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with a rare condition.

The actress’ daughter, Sadie, opened up about her condition during episode of Applegate’s “MeSsy” podcast, saying she has new-found common ground with her mother, who is living with multiple sclerosis.

“I have something called POTS,” Sadie said.

Christina Applegate has revealed daughter Sadie is battling a rare health condition. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

“I have no clue what it actually is, but it’s something to do with the autonomic nervous system and it affects my heart. When I stand up, I get really, really dizzy and my legs get really weak and I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it’s a chronic disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system and blood circulation and could lead to tremors, nausea, and fainting.

POTS — formally known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — is when your heart rate increases quickly after getting up from sitting or lying down, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Christina Applegate is managing Multiple Sclerosis. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Sadie revealed that while she only recently received her diagnosis, she’s been living with the condition for a while.

Applegate and Sadie.

What is POTS? Explaining the syndrome affecting Christina Applegate’s daughter Sadie

Applegate said she “hates” that her daughter has to experience the chronic disorder.

“I hate it for you my darling. I really hate it for you,” Applegate said.
“I’m sad. But I love you and I know you’re going to be OK. And I’m here for you and I believe you. And thank you for bringing this to light and awareness.”

Christina Applegate appeared at the Emmy Awards in January. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Sadie — whom Applegate shares with her husband, Martyn LeNoble — remembered leaving her grade six classes to visit the nurse “multiple times a day.”

“In class, if I were to stand up then, I would be like, ‘I have to go to the nurse. I can’t do this.’ Or I’ll be in PE, and I’ll be like, ‘I have to go to the nurse,’” she said.

“They were like, ‘You’re doing this to get out of class. It’s probably just anxiety. Go back to class.’ They wouldn’t do anything for it.”

“Them not doing anything about it definitely hurt me physically and emotionally,” she said. “Because I was just like, ‘This is rude and I feel sick and you’re telling me to go to PE and run laps around the football field. I can’t do that.’”

Christina Applegate, with Linda Cardellini in Dead to Me. She retired from acting after the Netflix comedy ended. Picture: Netflix

Applegate — who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021 — said that she was initially dismissive of her daughter’s symptoms.

“She wears layers of clothes on 300-degree days and she hates PE — sorry school, not a big fan of PE or physical things,” Applegate said.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I kind of felt that way too.’ I feel so horrible that we didn’t pay attention to it.”

“I just didn’t see it at home, babe. At home you were fine. But it’s kind of like us,” Applegate said.

“We get out in the world, and the stresses and the anxiety of the world bring upon our symptoms much worse than they would be if we were in the safety and the coolness of our own homes.”

After gaining some clarity on her condition, Sadie said it’s helped her to “understand what my mum's going through.”

“Like, when my mum’s like, ‘Oh, I’m kind of in pain right now. Oh, I’m having tremors.’ If I didn’t have this, I probably would be like, ‘I don’t really care. I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” she said.

Originally published as Ailing Christina Applegate’s daughter in shock health battle