The progression of Parkinson’s disease in Michael J. It is not expected to reach 80

“It’s knocking on the door,” Fox, 61, said of the disease. “It’s getting harder. It’s getting harder. Every day it’s getting harder, but that’s the way it is. Who do I see about that?”

Fox, an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at the age of 29. He was filming “Doc Hollywood”, and sought medical advice about a tremor he had in his pinky finger. he did not do public disclosure He had been suffering from the disease for several years.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and debilitating disorder that causes uncontrollable twitching and jerking, twitching, slurred speech, and difficulty with balance and coordination, among other things. disease that develops neurons in the brain It weakens or dies, and is more common in men, although researchers don’t know why. Actor Richard Lewis, 75, recently announced that he has Parkinson’s disease.

Clip from the documentary shows Fox tripping and falling hard on a sidewalk in New York City. A passerby examined him. His response: “You knocked me off my feet.”

Fox said he had surgery for a benign tumor on his spine, which “has messed up my gait,” and is less stable on his feet.

He said, “Now I broke things.” “This arm and this arm, this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand from falling.”

He noted that falls are a “major killer” for people with Parkinson’s disease. He also noted that food inhalation and pneumonia are risks.

He said, “All these subtle ways get to you.” “You don’t die of Parkinson’s disease. You die of Parkinson’s disease. I’m not going to be 80.”

In 2000, Fox launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research, which has supported some of the most ambitious research in the field. In April, researchers announced a major advance in identifying isoforms of the protein and a test method that could be used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease earlier and reduce the number of people misdiagnosed with the disease.

The research stems from the Fox Foundation’s Markers of Parkinson’s Disease Progress Initiative, which for more than a decade has followed more than 1,100 volunteers with and without the disease.

“It changes everything,” Fox said of the research. “With where we are now, in five years we’ll be able to see if they have it, we’ll be able to see if they’ll have it, we’ll know how to deal with it.”

Pauli, who interviewed Fox early in his career, noted that the disease had taken a noticeable toll. “Every time I see you,” she tells him, “I can see that it’s taken a little more of something.”

He replied: “For 30 years.” “Not many of us have had this disease in 30 years. Sucks. Sucks having Parkinson’s. For some families, it’s a nightmare. It’s a living hell. You have to deal with realities that most people don’t understand.”

Despite the challenges of living with Parkinson’s disease, Fox noted that it has advantages that others do not.

“I have a certain set of skills that allow me to handle these things,” he said. “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you find something to be grateful for, you can find something to look forward to and carry on.”

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