The Hollywood star Michael J. Fox of “Family Ties” fame has been battling Parkinson’s disease for over thirty years. In a new interview, the 61 year-old actor has admitted that he doesn’t have many years left, and will likely not see the age of 80.
Actor Michael J. Fox, 61, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991 when he was just 29. Fox tells Jane Pauley that dealing with the incurable disease is getting more challenging, and he can’t imagine living until he’s 80. More this 'Sunday Morning.' pic.twitter.com/hE7KeTiDUi
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) April 28, 2023
‘I’m Not Going To Be 80’
“My life is set up so … I can pack Parkinson’s along with me if I have to,” Fox told CBS News. “[Parkinson’s] banging on the door… I’m not going to lie, it’s getting hard. It’s getting harder. It’s getting tougher. Every day it’s tougher … that’s the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that?”
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s,” he continued. “I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it.… I’m not going to be 80. I’m not going to be 80.”
Fox went on to talk about how deeply Parkinson’s has impacted his life after a life-altering surgery.
“I had spinal surgery,” he stated. “I had a tumor on my spine … it was benign, but it messed up my walking … then, started to break stuff … broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand.”
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Related: Michael J. Fox Gives Sad Update About His Health After Battling Parkinson’s For Over 30 Years
Fox’s Diagnosis
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 1991 when he was only 29 years-old. When asked if it was possible that he did “some damage” to himself that led to this disease in the years before that, Fox replied, “Yeah, very possible.”
“I mean, there’s so many ways that you can… that I could’ve hurt myself,” he added. “I could’ve hit my head. I could’ve drank too much at a certain developmental period. Most likely I think is, that I was exposed to some kind of chemical. What we say is that genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.”
“Still, it’s hard to explain to people how lucky I am, because I also have Parkinson’s,” Fox concluded. “Some days are a struggle. Some days are more difficult than others. But the disease is this thing that’s attached to my life — it isn’t the driver.”
Check out this full interview in the video below.
Related: Michael J. Fox Defiantly Refuses To Be A Victim Despite Parkinson’s Battle – ‘I Have No Regrets’
Fox On Going Public With Diagnosis
Fox previously talked to Entertainment Tonight about why he decided to go public with his diagnosis, revealing that his decision came down to the paparazzi.
“It was seven or eight years after I had been diagnosed … [and] the paparazzi and stuff, they would stand outside my apartment and heckle at me, like, ‘What’s the matter with you?’ ” Fox recalled in the 2021 interview. “I said, ‘I can’t be making my neighbors deal with this,’ so I came out, and it was great. It was a great thing.”
“It was a great surprise to me that people responded the way they responded,” he continued. “They responded with interest, in the desire to find an answer to the disease, and then I saw that as a great opportunity. I didn’t get put in this position to squander it.”
In "Still,” the new documentary about his life, Michael J. Fox reflects on superstardom, Parkinson's research that just announced a breakthrough, and his very public battle against the disease. https://t.co/76MjmKZZZm pic.twitter.com/2DoF0OEAq2
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) April 30, 2023
Fox launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000, and it has since raised over $1.5 billion for Parkinson’s research. We applaud him for continuing to turn the negative of having this disease into a positive by inspiring others with his story!
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