The Sopranos’ Jamie-Lynn Sigler revealed her son, Beau, has spent the past four weeks in the hospital.
During Tuesday’s episode of her MeSsy podcast, which she hosts alongside Christina Applegate, the actress, 43, revealed ‘nobody could understand why’ her 10-year-old ‘was getting worse and not getting better.’
‘It was and has been like the darkest hardest, most f**ked up thing I’ve ever been through,’ the New York native said. ‘Every time you would get, like, a little bit of good news, you would get slapped in the face with something else.’
Sigler, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis diagnosis at 20, revealed that Beau’s pediatrician initially told her husband, Cutter Dykstra, that their child was suffering from a virus.
After Beau spiked a 105-degree fever, the couple rushed him to the hospital.
The Sopranos’ Jamie-Lynn Sigler revealed her son, Beau, has spent the past four weeks in the hospital
Sigler explained that she ‘didn’t wanna f**king leave the hospital’ because she ‘something inside’ her ‘f**king knew’ there was a problem.
This led to her making an appointment with an infectious disease doctor.
As they made their way to see the specialist, Sigler said Beau started ‘screaming in pain’ during their drive ‘in a way that no mother should ever see her kid scream.’
After going to the hospital, again, she said he was still ‘screaming through morphine.’
Beau proceeded to undergo an MRI, brain scan and had a a catheter put in.
Ultimately, he was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM).
‘It’s a very rare neurological autoimmune response that kids can get to a simple virus like a cold or strep,’ she explained to listeners. ‘[The doctors] said it’s compared to getting struck by lightning. That it’s the most rare thing.’
Accordign to Boston Children’s Hospital, ADEM ‘involves a brief but intense attack of inflammation (swelling) in the brain and spinal cord that damages the brain’s myelin.’
During Tuesday’s episode of her MeSsy podcast, which she hosts alongside Christina Applegate , the actress, 43, revealed ‘nobody could understand why’ her little boy ‘was getting worse and not getting better’
Myelin, also called white matter, is ‘the protective covering of nerve fibers.’
Still, medical professionals continued to ‘rule out all these other things.’
During the ordeal, Sigler recalled waiting for a nurse to ‘walk out to tell’ her if her son was f**king dead or not.’
The actress said the hospital trips and past month feel ‘like a blur’ and were particularly difficult as she watched her son make progress, then regress.
At one point, she said Beau lost the use of his legs and mouth.
‘We got transferred out of the ICU because his vitals were stable, which is a win. We’re in a rehab floor now, where he will be for at least another month as we try to see what the trajectory of his recovery will be,’ she said. ‘My win yesterday and today is [that] he’s regained his ability to walk. It’s a miracle. It’s amazing. His body is strong. It’s an example of healing.’
Although Sigler said her son has made physical improvements, she stated that he has ‘developed severe psychosis.’
In addition to Beau, Sigler and her husband, Cutter Dykstra, share a six-year-old son named Jack
She explained that this has resulted in him repeatedly discussing ‘different obsessions’ and say things he wouldn’t normally.
‘During one of his rants, he called me a motherf**king slow walking bitch, which I think will now be the title of my book,’ she mused. ‘That’s not my son, though. It’s not him.’
Sigler noted that Beau has always been very compassionate toward her and said he ‘always used to write me little texts from his little Apple Watch.’
She revealed these messages would say things like: ‘I wish I could take your pain away from you mom. I wish I could take this away from you. I would die for you. I love you.’
‘The three things he has wrong are issues with his bladder and his hip flexors and his feet — and that’s me. I’m thinking, “My son’s taking away my pain.”‘ she continued.
As she spoke about the ‘nightmare’ her family has endured with Beau’s health battle, Sigler noted that she’s ‘never felt more broken’ or loved (seen in 2020)
On Tuesday, Sigler also shared a photo of herself and Beau smiling with their arms wrapped around each other on Instagram.
As she spoke about the ‘nightmare’ her family has endured with Beau’s health battle, Sigler noted that she’s ‘never felt more broken’ or loved.
‘The way our friends and family have come to our rescue during this terrible time has been one of the most incredible things to experience,’ she captioned the image. ‘Maybe I could receive it because it wasn’t for me, it was and always will be about Beau. The power of love, community and prayer is so real.’
As for why she spoke publicly about the situation on her podcast, the star explained she ‘needed an outlet’ and because she is ‘desperate for advice and information.’
‘If anyone has had experience with ADEM, I would love to hear from you. The doctors nurses, and therapists have been INCREDIBLE here, and we have the highest of hopes for our son that he makes a full recovery, but we also know that whatever life turns into, we have a f**king army around us, and we will be ok,’ she added. ‘Thank you to everyone , you know who you are. I will never be able to repay you for the way you have held us and supported us. And to my husband Cutter, your patience and strength during this has been unparalleled.’
She also credited her and Dykstra’s younger son, Jack, six, for turning ‘into a care taker’ for his older sibling.
