The actor did an interview with Jane Pauley on CBS Sunday Morning where he revealed a glimpse of his life with Parkinson’s. He was initially diagnosed in 1991. He called it “the gift that keeps on taking.”
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Daily Struggles
“I’m not gonna lie. It’s getting harder. Every day it’s tougher,” Fox shared.
“[Falling] is a big killer with Parkinson’s,” he continued, detailing the two broken arms, a broken hand, and broken facial bones he’s suffered with the disease. “It’s falling, and aspirating food and pneumonia – all these subtle ways that [it] gets you. You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. I’m not gonna be 80.”
Fox chooses to focus on gratitude that he’s been able to live with Parkinson’s for over 30 years. “I recognize how hard this is for people, and I recognize how hard it is for me, but I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff,” Fox shared. “And I realize, with gratitude, optimism is sustainable.”
“If you can find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to, and you carry on,” he continued.
Last month, the actor admitted that he had had “a terrible year” with his health, but he noted that the silver lining was the groundbreaking research on Parkinson’s funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Further Research
In a Stat News interview, Fox talked about a recently published study that went into detail about the pathology associated with Parkinson’s disease – how it can be identified by examining the spinal fluid in living patients, providing doctors with a chance to catch the disease early.
“It’s all changed. It can be known and treated early on. It’s huge,” Fox shared.
“This is the thing,” he continued. “This is the big reward. This is the big trophy.”
The actor shares more of his journey in his upcoming documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.