At 62, Michael J. Fox Updates Fans on Health Amid Parkinson’s Battle
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Michael J. Fox updates fans on his health.
The Back to the Future star gives an honest take on the status of his life with Parkinson’s.
“It’s the gift that keeps on taking, but it has changed my life in so many positive ways.”
Michael J. Fox was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, but he has been open about his condition for a while, often offering fans insights into his life with a chronic illness. Now, the star is updating fans on his health, sharing how his experience has impacted his outlook on life and how he’s living “one day at a time.”
As the cover star for Town & Country’s philanthropy issue, the 62-year-old told the outlet: “I’ve said Parkinson’s is a gift. It’s the gift that keeps on taking, but it has changed my life in so many positive ways.” One of which he says is the creation of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds research for the development of therapies for those living with Parkinson’s.
And while he’s remained optimistic about his condition over the decades, Fox recalled years of struggling with his health—both with Parkinson’s and beyond. In 2018, when a spinal tumor unrelated to his Parkinson’s threatened to paralyze him, he opted for surgery that required months of physical therapy to get him walking again.
Once rehabilitated and finally on two feet, Fox then tripped and fell in his kitchen, breaking his upper arm. He recalled the words that he uttered while splayed on his floor: “I said, ‘F*ck lemonade. I’m out of the lemonade business,’” he told Town & Country. Fox said he has also since broken his other arm and shoulder, smashed his orbital bone and cheek, and broken his hand. “It was a tsunami of misfortune,” he said.
And through it all, Fox said he stays optimistic—yet realistic—about his prognosis. “You don’t die from Parkinson’s; you die with Parkinson’s. I’m not gonna be 80. I’m not gonna be 80,” he told CBS Sunday Morning in May.
However, the Back to the Future star often refers to himself as a “tough son of a b*tch” and isn’t afraid of his own mortality. “One day I’ll run out of gas,” Fox said. “One day I’ll just say, ‘It’s not going to happen. I’m not going out today.’ If that comes, I’ll allow myself that. I’m 62 years old. Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. And so, no, I don’t fear that.”
Fox continues to inspire us with his transparency and attitude. We can’t wait to see what wisdom he’ll share next.
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