Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease back in 1991 at the age of 29. And 32 years later today, the 61-year-old actor has decided to give us further updates on his health in his new documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, where he details his daily struggles and his coping mechanisms. Michael’s bravery is truly inspirational, and it teaches us how to be strong in the face of the challenges that life will inevitably throw our way.
The Back to the Future star kept his diagnosis a secret for 7 years before he made it public to the media in 1998. He opened up about dealing with depression and denial at the beginning when he learned that his condition was incurable.
And in order to cope with the idea that he will never go back to his past self, Fox turned to work and travel in order to distract his mind and pretend that everything was normal.
He noted, “You can’t pretend at home that you don’t have Parkinson’s because you’re just there with it. If I’m out in the world, I’m dealing with other people, and they don’t know I have it.”
After all, the actor needed to get a sense of freedom and control back because, for him, ’’restraint’’ was the biggest challenge he had to face. He admitted, ’’The worst thing is to be confined and to not be able to have a way out." He then added that there were times when he felt like, ’’There’s no way out of this.’’
Today, after having lived more than 3 decades with this degenerative brain disorder, Fox seems to have found his inner peace and acceptance. And he gives so much credit to his wife, actress Tracy Pollan, and their 4 children, for helping him cope with his condition.
But while his mental state is in a much better place now, the actor revealed that his body is struggling every day. In the documentary, we get to see Michael doing doctor visits, where he gets asked about his day-to-day life with Parkinson’s.
There, the actor explained, “I’m in intense pain.” He even revealed that he frequently falls as he walks, and says that he was injured multiple times during the making of the documentary.
Fox noted, ’’People around me are going, ’Be careful, be careful.’ And I’m like: ’This has nothing to do with being careful. This happens.’"
Michael is turning his illness into an opportunity to advance research related to Parkinson’s and he is determined to help others who are also struggling with the same condition.
The documentary shows how he launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 and the campaigns he does for Parkinson’s research.
The inspiring actor noted, “Some people would view the news of my disease as an ending. But I was starting to sense it was really a beginning.”
Do you agree that we can find the bright side of any situation? Have you ever had to face a challenge that you eventually turned into a source of strength?
I admire him hugely . there is a history of parkinsons in my family I always feared I'd get it but thankfully I haven't. I saw my grandmother and father go through all the stages . Michael J fox looks fantastic . keep active it's the most important thing. his foundation is helping others .
