“Michael J. Fox Opens Up in Emotional Interview about Battling Parkinson’s Disease and His Foundation’s Search for a Cure”

• Back to the Future star opens up in emotional interview about battling brain disorder for which there is still no cure
• The foundation he created has raised over $1 billion for research

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, when he was only 29 years old. Since then, the now 61-year-old “Back to the Future” star has not stopped fighting the disease and seeking a cure for it through the foundation she created. In front of CBS just a week ago, the actor stated in an emotional interview that living with this suffering is becoming more and more of a challenge for him. “I can’t imagine that I will live to be 80,” says the man who kept optimism alive for 32 years.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s getting harder every day. That’s the way it is. But who can I blame for that?” shared Michael J. Fox to the cameras. He told about his great tribulations in recent years – how he is

had spine surgery to remove a tumor,

which has affected his ability to walk. This led to falls and many injuries, including breaking both arms, wrists and facial bones. According to him, falls “are the big killer” of Parkinson’s. As well as aspiration of food or pneumonia. “You don’t die of Parkinson’s, you die with Parkinson’s,” he points out.

In January this year a documentary about Michael J. Fox and his energy to overcome adversity premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film opens on May 12. It received critical acclaim for showing the resilience of the Hollywood celebrity without making him a martyr. .

Despite his illness, the actor continued to work until 2020. In 2000, he created a foundation for the search for a cure, which became the largest non-governmental donor of funds in the world to finance research in this field. She has raised over $1 billion for research projects and improving the condition of people living with the disease.

“I was the prince of Hollywood,” Fox says in the tape. – At such a moment you think that life is made of stones and bricks, but it is not. It is made of paper and feathers. It’s all an illusion.”

Last year, the movie actor, who in 1985 with the release of “Back to the Future” everyone predicted a stunning career, received an honorary “Oscar” for his work in the search for a cure for Parkinson’s disease. His words are printed on the foundation’s home page: “For me, hope is informed optimism.”

In 1990, after a Fox party

wakes up and notices that the puppy on one of his hands is shaking

He attributes this to a hangover. After not getting better for a while, the actor went to a neurologist and in 1991 was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Shocked, Fox tells the doctor, “I shouldn’t be getting sick from things like this.”

For seven years, the actor kept his diagnosis a secret, taking drugs that suppressed the early symptoms. “I drank to forget,” admits the star. – I was an alcoholic then. I haven’t had a drink in 30 years.” In 1998, he decided that he had to publicly admit what he was suffering from. Since then, he has become involved in the campaigns of politicians who are committed to passing laws in favor of disease research and to alleviate the condition of those suffering from it.

Born in Canada on June 9, 1961, the actor began his career at the age of 15 with his first role in the Canadian sitcom Leo and Me. At first he wanted to devote himself to hockey, but he turned out to be too small – he is 163 cm tall. He did not finish school and moved to Los Angeles, where in 1982 he got his dream chance – participation in the series “Family Ties”.

At 21, he started earning six figures a week, and at 23 he was driving a Ferrari, the actor later recalled, admitting that it was “real madness”. After the cult comedy “Back to the Future” he participated in its sequels in 1989 and 1990. In the 1980s he shot several more films, including “The Secret of My Success”, “Bright Lights, Big City”, “Military lost” by Brian De Palma, where he co-starred with Sean Penn.

And then comes the big and unexpected blow. After he was diagnosed, the doctors told him that his career would last a maximum of 10 years. However, he announces that he is leaving the screen only after 29 years, in 2020, when during the filming of the series “Destined to Survive”

starting to forget the lines

However, he does not lose his positivity. Last year, he admitted to People magazine that despite everything he is going through, he is happy. His wife Tracy Pollen and their four children support him in his difficulties. In his career, the star has won 5 Emmy Awards and 4 Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s. People who suffer from it do not produce enough dopamine. In them, the neurons in a part of the brain called “substantia nigra” (black substance) are affected, which are responsible for the production of the hormone affecting a number of motor functions.

Early symptoms can appear years before diagnosis. We are talking about disturbances in the sense of smell, tremors, muscle stiffness, depressive states. It usually affects people over 60, but much younger people can be affected, as was the case with Michael J. Fox.

At the moment, no cure has been discovered, but there are many modern therapies that significantly suppress the symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients. Furthermore, different people develop the disease in a very different and individual way, and some may have a relatively normal existence into old age.

Scientific teams from all over the world are looking for an explanation of the causes of the disease, first described by the British doctor James Parkinson 200 years ago. In his interview, Michael J. Fox does not forget to mention about the latest promising scientific discovery – a biomarker that detects the symptoms very before they manifest. The discovery has already been hailed as a major breakthrough.

“Patients with Parkinson’s are experts on the disease. We have a responsibility to share our experience – what works in our favor, what we react to, what we can contribute to research”, says the actor. And he added on behalf of the foundation: “Our only urgent goal is to eliminate Parkinson’s disease within our lifetime.”