Michael J. Fox (61) spoke again about his fight against Parkinson’s. He reports how “tough” his days are now because of the illness and that his daily challenges keep confronting him with the issue of mortality. In a preview of his recent guest appearance on CBS’ Sunday Morning, which won’t air in full until next Sunday, the Back to the Future star said, “I mean, I don’t want to lie. It’s going to be tough. .. it’s getting harder. It’s getting harder every day.”
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 29. The moment was “scary” for him back then, he recalls on the show. His health has deteriorated rapidly in recent years. In addition, he had to undergo risky spinal surgery in 2018 to remove a tumor.
After that he had to relearn how to walk, and he often fell badly. Fox said he broke his arms, elbow, face and hand multiple times. The falls are “a big killer in Parkinson’s disease,” Fox said, “along with food aspiration and pneumonia.”
All these cuts would have made him “keep thinking about mortality”. The 61-year-old doesn’t think he’ll live with the disease much longer: “I’m not going to be 80,” says Fox, “I’m not going to be 80 […] You don’t die of Parkinson’s – you die with Parkinson’s.”
The actor recently had a reason to be happy thanks to his Parkinson’s Foundation, which publicly announced a breakthrough in April. Scientists have developed a new technique that could help diagnose Parkinson’s disease before symptoms appear. This could also speed up the search for a cure. The Hollywood star was “deeply moved” by the success.
