Michael J. Fox Opens Up About Life With Parkinson’s, His Mortality

Michael J. Fox is opening up about what it’s like to live with Parkinson’s disease and how he maintains an optimistic attitude while grappling with his mortality.

“I’ve said Parkinson’s is a gift,” he said in a new cover story for Town & Country. “It’s the gift that keeps on taking, but it has changed my life in so many positive ways.” Fox founded his philanthropy, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, in 2000 to fund research into the progressive neurological condition, which he has been battling for more than 30 years. It reflects his own deep-seated sense of optimism in the face of a disease that’s caused numerous health issues — “a tsunami of misfortune,” he says — throughout his life.

Fox trains every day to remain ambulatory, despite the “now daily falls” he faces. The actor maintains that the only thing that scares him is “anything that would put my family in jeopardy,” and that he holds no fear of death. “One day I’ll run out of gas,” Fox said. “One day I’ll just say, ‘It’s not going to happen. I’m not going out today.’ If that comes, I’ll allow myself that. I’m 62 years old. Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. And so, no, I don’t fear that.”

It’s a common refrain for Fox. In an April interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the 62-year-old actor spoke candidly about his life with Parkinson’s while promoting Still, his forthcoming documentary.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not gonna lie. It’s getting harder,” Fox said. “It’s getting tougher. Every day gets tougher, but that’s the way it is. Who do I see about that?”

These days, the Emmy-winning actor often struggles to walk steadily, especially after a recent surgery on his back. Falling is a major hazard for people with Parkinson’s, he explained.

“You don’t die from Parkinson’s; you die with Parkinson’s,” he added. “I’m not gonna be 80.”

Despite this, Michael J. Fox still maintains a positive attitude.

Image Credit: Getty Images for The Michael J.

So, yes, Fox is acutely aware of his own mortality. He’s also open about how lucky he is to be alive 30 years after his diagnosis.

“My life is set up so I can pack Parkinson’s along with me if I have to,” he explained.

“There’s not many of us that have this disease for 30 years,” the actor added. “It sucks. It sucks having Parkinson’s. For some families, it’s a nightmare. It’s a living hell. You have to deal with realities that are beyond most people’s understanding.”

But his deteriorating condition hasn’t precluded Fox from practicing gratitude.

“I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff,” he said. “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to and you carry on.”
What is Parkinson’s disease, the condition Fox has battled for decades?

Image Credit: FilmMagic

As The Washington Post reported, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, when he noticed a strange tremor in his pinkie finger. He didn’t speak publicly about battling the disease until eight years later.

Like Fox, many people with Parkinson’s first learn they have the condition as a result of tremors. According to Mayo Clinic, the disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by nerves. Symptoms include tremors or shaking, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired balance, and loss of automatic movements, such as blinking or smiling.

Parkinson’s is incurable, and symptoms tend to worsen as a patient ages, hence why Fox is struggling so much decades after his diagnosis.

But thanks to decades of research from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research — which the actor founded in 2000 — scientists recently made a major breakthrough in understanding the disease. Soon, screenings will be more accurate and available earlier.

“It changes everything,” Fox added. “With where we are right now, in five years we will be able to tell if they have [Parkinson’s], be able to tell if they’re going to get it, we’ll know how to treat it.”

That’s an incredible legacy to leave, if you ask me.