People love Michael J. Fox. He is one of the world’s most adored and revered actors, thanks to his iconic portrayal of Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy and his amazing efforts in raising money for Parkinson’s research.
Although the 61-year-old actor frequently expressed optimism after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he is also open about its toll on his health and well-being.
Fox recently opened up about his impending death in a new interview, admitting that having Parkinson’s was “gettin’ tougher” and that he didn’t expect to live to be 80.
Fox claimed in an interview with Jane Pauley of CBS Sunday Morning that while he has made the most of his life despite the diagnosis, Parkinson’s disease is now “banging on the door.”
The retiring actor declared, “It’s getting harder. Every day it gets harder. But that’s just how things are. Who should I talk to about that, you know?”
He said a tumor was discovered on his spine, leading to recent spinal surgery. It was harmless, but it made it difficult for him to walk and caused an injury when he fell: “[I] broke this arm, and I split this arm, and I broke this elbow. My face was broken. Fox said to Pauley.
Along with pneumonia and food aspiration, falling is a “big killer” for Parkinson’s patients, according to the Back to the Future actor.
Parkinson’s does not cause death. Parkinson’s kills you, Fox remarked. “I’ve been considering how mortal it is. I won’t live to be 80. I won’t live to be 80.
In an interview with People Magazine from the previous year, he said something similar: “It became worse… I’m 61 years old and starting to feel it slightly more.
But he persisted in being upbeat: “It’s been a struggle, but I’m happy,” he told People. “I say that because I hope that people can find happiness despite their circumstances on some level,”
While Fox is aware of his mortality, he has made the most of the time he has left by dedicating his life to the search for treatment for this fatal illness.
In 2000, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which provides funding for studies to develop more effective Parkinson’s therapies and a cure. The organization, which has raised over $1 billion for research initiatives, is the largest nonprofit financier of Parkinson’s disease research.
The organization recently made a significant scientific advancement by identifying a highly reliable biomarker test for Parkinson’s disease.
The foundation claimed that “the test is capable of objectively and reliably detecting the disease at the molecular level — even before the onset of symptoms” and predicted that it will “transform every aspect of drug development and ultimately clinical care.”
In 1991, Michael J. Fox received his initial Parkinson’s diagnosis and was given a dire prognosis.
Fox remembered on The Late Show With David Letterman in 2015 that “it was scary.”
“It was the last thing I expected to hear at 29. I believed I injured my shoulder while performing a trick because my pinkie twitched.” The doctor then informed him that he had Parkinson’s disease. The good news is that you still have ten years of labor ahead of you, he remarked.
Years later, in 1998, Fox disclosed his ailment to the public. Since then, he has been more vocal about his difficulties dealing with the illness, including his battles with depression and binge drinking.
But he claims that his wife stood by him during his darkest moments. “We didn’t know what to expect,” Fox said on Today. “Tracy didn’t blink at that crucial moment, which is one reason I’ll always love her,” the author said.
Despite concealing the diagnosis for several years, Fox performed in Spin City’s sitcom as Mike Flaherty, the principal character and Deputy Mayor of New York. He received three Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award for his portrayal.
But in the show’s fourth season, he left because of his health.
His acting career continues with guest appearances on Scrubs and The Good Wife and voiceover work on Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the Stuart Little movies. The Michael J. Fox Show, which he had on TV once more in 2012, was terminated after only one season.
But Fox announced that he would probably return to acting retirement in 2020, citing a further deterioration in his health.
“There is a time for everything, and my time of putting in a twelve-hour workday, and memorizing seven pages of dialogue, is best behind me,” Fox wrote in his most recent book, No Time Like the Future.
On May 12, Apple TV+ will launch the Michael J. Fox biopic Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
We send our best wishes to Michael J. Fox as he fights Parkinson’s disease. Keep your wits about you, Michael! I appreciate all the crucial work you do.
