Parkinson’s disease problems are described by Michael J. Fox as “I won’t be 80.”
The actor, who was diagnosed at age 29, said the disease’s progression has left him with numerous ailments, but he was still able to maintain his optimism.
Michael J. Fox, who played Marty McFly in Back to the Future, described Parkinson’s disease as a “gift that keeps on taking” in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
Since the 1990s, Michael J. Fox has been battling Parkinson’s disease. The actor is a dedicated advocate who has fought to increase research into the illness to advance treatments and cures for it. However, his work in movies, not his struggle against Parkinson’s, was what this time brought him a prize. A lifetime achievement award was given to him. Things also became a little emotional during the ceremony. Read on to discover more.
The 61-year-old star from Back to the Future graced the red carpet in New York City for the Spring Moving Image Awards. His 28-year-old twin daughters Aquinnah Kathleen Fox and Schuyler Frances Fox, as well as his 62-year-old wife, Tracy Pollan, joined him on the red carpet for the awards show. A year after the 1990 release of Back to the Future Part III, the 61-year-old activist, and former Hollywood actor received a diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s disease.
Fox said that he has sustained a number of wounds from falling, including fractures to his face and other body parts and a benign tumor on his spine. “You don’t die from Parkinson’s, you die with (the ailment),” he continued, “you don’t die from all these subtle ways that get you. I won’t live to be eighty.” “I recognize how difficult this is for people and how challenging it is for me, but I have a specific set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff, and I realize that optimism is sustainable when practiced with gratitude,” he continued. “Finding something to be thankful for gives you something to look forward to and allows you to move on.” According to the charity’s website, Fox established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000, which has raised more than $1.75 billion for research funding. The foundation also funded a study that claimed to have established a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease. It was published in April. “This changes everything,” Fox remarked. “I know where we are now. In five years, we will be able to diagnose it, predict if you will ever contract it, and know how to treat it.” The actor, who is married to Tracy Pollan and has four kids, announced his retirement in 2020. In November, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governors Awards, an honorary Oscar recognizing exceptional philanthropic achievements. He will also soon produce an Apple TV+ documentary. A Michael J. Fox film, still.
Back to the Future star Michael J Fox described Parkinson’s as a “gift that keeps on taking” in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, in which he described his struggles with the illness.
The 61-year-old activist and former Hollywood actor was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease a year after Back to the Future Part III was released in 1990.
Fox told interviewer Jane Pauley: “It sucks, having Parkinson’s … It’s getting tougher, it’s getting harder, every day you suffer but that’s the way it is.”
The condition causes parts of the brain to become progressively damaged over many years. The three main symptoms are involuntary shaking of parts of the body, known as tremors, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles.
Fox said that he has had a string of injuries from falling, including breaking bones in his face and other parts of his body, along with a benign tumour on his spine. He added: “All these subtle ways that get you, you don’t die from Parkinson’s, you die with (the condition). I’m not going to be 80. I won’t be 80.”
He added: “I recognise how hard this is for people and recognise how hard it is for me but I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff and I realise, with gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you can find something to be grateful for then you find something to look forward to and you carry on.”
Fox founded the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 which has raised more than $1.75bn (£1.39bn) for research funding, according to the charity’s website. The foundation also sponsored a study, published in April, that says researchers have discovered a biomarker for Parkinson’s.
Fox said: “This changes everything. I know where we are right now. In five years, they will be able tell if you have it, they will be able to tell if you’re ever going to get it and we’ll know how to treat it.”
The actor, who has four children with his wife Tracy Pollan, retired in 2020. He was honoured at the Governors awards with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award, an honorary Oscar recognising outstanding philanthropic efforts in November and is to release an Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J Fox Movie.
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