Shemar Moore Talks Mom's Battle With MS
Everyone has a cause that is close to their hearts, and for Shemar Moore of Criminal Minds, the cause he's passionate about is finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.
Moore, who plays Derek Morgan on the hit CBS police procedural, was personally effected by the tragedy of MS when his mother was diagnosed with the illness in 1998.
Entertainment Tonight's Brooke Anderson caught up with Shemar Moore and his mom Marilyn Wilson as they posed for photographs that would serve as the cover of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Momentum Magazine.
According to Moore and his mother, when she first found out she was afflicted with MS, Moore couldn't deal with it.
"I was in denial," Moore told Brooke Anderson. "I was like, 'Ma, take some Aspirin. Get a good night's sleep. It'll go away.' I didn't want to accept it. But then I saw her start to, you know, she wasn't able to do a lot of things that she normally could do… It started to hit home."
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"I'm raised by a single mom and didn't have pops around for the most part of my life. And she, by any means necessary, gave me the best opportunities that she knew how to give me," Moore said of his mother as he held her close to him.
"When you're a kid, your parents are invincible," added Moore. "I always thought of her as my super mom and MS is her kryptonite. She's cracked a little bit, but I always say that she'll never break."
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In an effort to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Moore and several other members of the cast and crew of Criminal Minds participated in a 100-mile bike race that raises funds for MS research.
Check out the video for more from Shemar and his mom about their lives, dealing with MS together, and the difficulty of riding 100 miles on a bike.