Michael J. Fox, 61, opens up about the pain of living with Parkinson’s disease and his mortality
Michael J Fox has lived with Parkinson’s disease since his diagnosis at the age of 29 in 1991, all the while dedicating himself to finding a cure through his foundation.
And in a new interview with CBS Sunday morningFox, now 61, spoke candidly about his health and the painful realities of living with the progressive disorder.
“My life is set up so that I can take Parkinson’s disease with me if I have to,” he tells journalist Jane Pauley.
“You’ve wasted none of your capacity, but at some point Parkinson’s will ask for you, won’t it?” Pauly said bluntly about Fox’s mortality.
“Yes, it’s banging on the door,” the father of four replied. “I mean, I’m not going to lie, it’s going to hurt.”
Candid: Michael J. Fox, 61, spoke candidly about his health and the painful realities of living with the progressive disorder in a new interview with CBS Sunday Mornings
Fox retired from acting in 2020 due to his symptoms, which include tremors, decreased movement, coordination, and muscle stiffness.
He confesses that at age 61, living with Parkinson’s “is getting harder; every day it gets harder.’
Fox added, “But that’s the way it is and who am I seeing about that?”
In addition to dealing with the incurable disease, the actor has also had a number of other serious health issues and injuries over the years.
“I had spinal cord surgery. I had a tumor on my spine. And it was benign, but it messed up my walking. And then he started breaking things,” he shared, before revealing a series of scary injuries.
‘I broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand. That’s a big killer with Parkinson’s.
“It’s falling and sucking up food and getting pneumonia. All those subtle ways that get you,” he explained.
At this point he became very honest about the time he has left on Earth.
“You don’t die of Parkinson’s. You die of Parkinson’s. So I’ve been thinking about its mortality. I’m not going to be 80. I’m not going to be 80,” he said.
He went on to talk about the progress of Parkinson’s research just two days after the Michael J. Fox Foundation held its benefit dinner in Nashville, Tennessee, called A Country Thing: Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s.
Local stars Little Big Town and Brad Paisley were among the performers to show their support and take the stage for an evening of music and comedy after a seated dinner.
The annual charity event has helped make the Michael J. Fox Foundation the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s disease research in the world, with more than $1 billion in research projects to date.
“My life is set up so that I can take Parkinson’s disease with me if I have to,” he tells journalist Jane Pauley.
Painful Reality: “You’ve wasted none of your capacity, but at some point Parkinson’s will ask for you, won’t it?” Pauly said bluntly about Fox’s mortality. “Yes, it’s banging on the door,” the father of four replied. “I mean I’m not gonna lie, it’s gonna hurt”
Fox has lived with Parkinson’s disease since his diagnosis at the age of 29 in 1991, all the while dedicating himself to finding a cure through his foundation; seen on April 26
Earlier this week, the Michael J. Fox Foundation held its special benefit dinner and country music dinner Wednesday, amid Parkinson’s Awareness Mont, in Nashville (pictured)
Starry: Local stars Little Big Town and Brad Paisley were among the performers to show their support and take the stage for a night of music and comedy after a seated dinner
Founded in 2000, the Fox Foundation is not only dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, but also focuses on funding research and ensuring the development of improved therapies for the estimated five million people living today. living the day with Parkinson’s disease.
“We operate with focus and determination in everything we do. We won’t stop until a cure has been found,’ according to the foundation official website.
April has long been considered Parkinson’s Awareness Month, as it is the birth month of James Parkinson, the London physician who first described Parkinson’s disease in 1817.
Fox’s interview with Jane Pauley for CBS Sunday Morning airs on Sunday, April 30.