Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 19:15 28 Dec 2021 GMT
Michael J. Fox has opened up about how his struggle with Parkinson's disease has forced him to quit acting.
The beloved star of Back to the Future was diagnosed with Parkinson's over 30 years ago in 1991. He fought hard to continue acting but has recently decided it was time to take a step back.
The 60-year-old told AARP that he had not expected to be able to work for so long, saying: “The doctor who diagnosed me in 1991 told me I had 10 years left to work."
However, it was only recently when his speech and memory became unreliable that Fox was forced to end his career.
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that develops slowly over time. Symptoms may include tremors, balance problems, slowed movement, and stiffness in the limbs. There is currently no cure and though the disease itself is not deadly, it does often cause fatal complications.
In the interview, Fox described what it was like living with Parkinson's.
“People often think of Parkinson’s as a visual thing, but the visuals of it are nothing. On any given day, my hands could be barely shaking or they could be …” he said, flailing his hands around.
“It’s what you can’t see—the lack of an inner gyroscope, of a sense of balance, of peripheral perception. I mean, I’m sailing a ship on stormy seas on the brightest of days.”
He added that, given his diagnosis, he had managed to live a remarkably full life. “I’m kind of a freak. It’s weird that I’ve done as well as I have for as long as I have.”
However, it hasn't been easy. In 2018, the Family Ties star had a benign tumor removed from his spinal cord. The operation left him needing to relearn how to walk. Not long after, a bad fall at home meant he had to get a metal plate and 19 screws fitted to stabilize a broken arm.
While he isn't optimistic that Parkinson's will be cured during his lifetime, Fox did say that he was determined to stay positive about his own situation.
“It’s hard to explain to people how lucky I am because I also have Parkinson’s. Some days are a struggle. Some days are more difficult than others,” he said.
“But the disease is this thing that’s attached to my life—it isn’t the driver. And because I have assets, I have access to things others don’t. I wouldn’t begin to compare my experience to that of a working guy who gets Parkinson’s and has to quit his job and find a new way to live. So, I’m really lucky.”
Meanwhile, he may have taken a step back from acting but Fox is using his newfound free time to pursue another interest - writing.
His recent book No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality is available to buy now.
