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Topics: Celebrity, Michael J Fox, News, US News, Health
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Celebrity, Michael J Fox, News, US News, Health
Michael J Fox’s career took a major shift when he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and he has now opened up about how he wants to die.
Michael J Fox has been acting for decades and has had a very impressive career despite the difficulties of dealing with Parkinson’s disease.
The actor, most fondly remembered for his role as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future franchise, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at the age of 29. He hasn’t been shy talking about the condition over the years either, often highlighting the importance of understanding the disease and finding new treatments.
Most impressively, through his Michael J Fox Foundation, he has been able to raise more than $2 billion for Parkinson’s research.
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However, with this honesty regarding the complexities and difficulties of the disease, Fox has said he knows how he wants to die. While promoting his new memoir, Future Boy, he spoke of his desire to have a peaceful death.
He said: “There are not many people who have had Parkinson’s for 35 years.
“I’d like to just not wake up one day. That’d be really cool. I don’t want it to be dramatic. I don’t want to trip over furniture, smash my head.”
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement and coordination. The main symptoms include tremor (involuntary shaking), muscle stiffness, and slowness of movement.
While there isn’t a set timeline of severity for Parkinson’s disease, many people experience balance problems, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and difficulties with memory or concentration at varying degrees.
Although he is thankful for the years he has been able to live with the condition, Fox has also spoken about the daily difficulties he faces.
During a recent interview with People, he said: “I wake up and get the message of what the day is gonna be like, and I try to adjust to it.
“I keep getting new challenges physically, and I get through it. I roll around in a wheelchair a lot, and it took some getting used to.”
However, Fox also noted that his outlook on the disease has changed over the years and he doesn’t view it negatively.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he said: “After 35 years or something since I’ve been diagnosed, this is just my life and I don’t think about it much.
“I’m thinking about what we’re going to do as a community to figure this out and find a cure – and short of a cure, [create] treatment centres that are really groundbreaking.”