Selma Blair and Amy Purdy.Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Paul Archuleta/Getty

selma blair and amy purdy

WhenAmy Purdyconnected withSelma Blaira few months ago over social media, the Paralympian snowboarder and the actress immediately hit it off.

Purdy, in the midst of a two year battle to walk again, found inspiration in Blair’s courage and candor in sharing her story of living with multiple sclerosis, which has impacted theCruel Intentionstar’sability to walk and talk.

Amy Purdy.Courtesy Amy Purdy

amy purdy

“Amy is an outlier,” Blair writes in a statement to PEOPLE. “She is one who can open your eyes to an alternate sense of being. I have never known people with such grace in a constant challenge. Amanda Kloots is another whose spirit brings calm and comfort. When COVID is over, Amy and Amanda are strongholds to learn from in person.”

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“Amy has a way of turning any dark corner into a passage,” Blair continues. “Amy teaches me through life to not be afraid. She celebrates. She cries. She is practical and angelic. And if I am hit low and pain brings me to a standstill, Amy is a welcome reference. Not a comparison. A reference of a great person. Still soaring. I will push my own physical self because of her.”

RELATED VIDEO: Amy Purdy on Sharing Her Latest Setbacks: You Just Got to Keep Going and This Is My Journey Doing That

Blair writes that her friendship with Purdy has helped her through the mental challenges of her illness.

“I am completely alright,” she writes. “And if I wouldn’t have found her, it may have taken me longer to see that. I love her. I’d welcome her any day in any way. I know what her gorgeous patience and tenacity do for all people who come across her.”

source: people.com