Michael J. Fox has suffered a series of injuries as a result of his Parkinson’s disease, which was diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 29, the actor revealed in an interview with Variety this week.
The 61-year-old Back to the Future star opened up about his battle with the disease and explained the injuries he sustained from losing his balance.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the neurological disorder causes unintended stiffness, tremors, and difficulty in coordinating, and worsens over time.
“I broke that shoulder – I had it replaced. I broke that elbow. I broke that hand I had an infection that nearly cost me this finger. i broke my face I broke that humerus,” Fox told Variety.
Fox said over the years it has been difficult to manage his illness, during which he has suffered other personal losses and mental health issues in addition to the pre-existing Parkinson’s symptoms.
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“I have helpers around most of the time in case I fall and it’s hard for me to deal with that lack of privacy,” he said in the interview. “I’ve lost family members, I’ve lost my dog, I’ve lost my freedom, I’ve lost my health. I hesitate to use the term ‘depression’ because I’m not qualified to diagnose it myself, but all the signs were there.”
Though it wasn’t easy, the ‘Family Ties’ star said he found solace in the support of his family, who helped him through his health struggles.
“I just enjoy life’s little math problems,” the actor said. “I love waking up and finding out these things and being with my family at the same time.”
And he’s come to a point where he accepts the impact the debilitating illness can have on his body.
“My problem is that I fall. I trip over things, fall and break things. And that’s part of it,” Fox said. “But I hope, and I have a feeling, that I won’t break so many bones tomorrow. So that’s optimistic.”
Fox also spoke about his experience in a recent interview with CBS’ Sunday Morning, in which he reflected on how long Parkinson’s has been a part of his life.
“It’s been more than 30 years; not many of us have had this disease for 30 years,” he said. “It sucks to have Parkinson’s.”
Since publicly reporting his illness in 1998, Fox has worked hard to raise money for Parkinson’s disease, a condition he learned was underfunded for research and treatment development. The nonprofit Michael J. Fox Foundation, established in 2000, has raised more than $1.5 billion for Parkinson’s research, according to its website.
According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 500,000 Americans are affected by Parkinson’s disease. However, some experts estimate that as many as a million Americans could have the disease because it often goes undiagnosed.
Fox retired from acting in 2020 because he was struggling with learning lines and acting due to illness, but he’s soon appearing in a new documentary about his life, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which is his detailing his successful career, his journey to sobriety, his battle with Parkinson’s, and his determination to continue living on his own terms despite the disease’s debilitating symptoms.
“No matter how many times I sit here and talk to you about how I’ve accepted it philosophically and taken its burden upon myself, Parkinson’s disease still gets in my ass. I won’t win at this. I’m going to lose,” Fox told the magazine. “But there is much to be gained in defeat.”
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Simrin Singh