Hearts are breaking for Michael J. Fox.
While talking with Town&Country, fans are now marveling at the miracle that is Fox’s life. As it is known, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 33 years ago in 1991, a feat many people who are diagnosed with the degenerative disease don’t experience.
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Sadly, as Town&Country reports, Fox isn’t physically well.
Currently, the actor is taking medication to “combat paralysis of his facial muscles” which allows him the ability to talk still. However, the medication doesn’t come without its side effects, including “dyskinesia, which is involuntary movement and tics.”
But despite the “gradual paring away” of Fox’s “physical self,” the broken bones, the tics, the surgeries, director Davis Guggenheim admitted that Fox’s life, including his outlook on life, was one he wished he had. “He had something I wish I had,” Guggenheim admitted after spending time with Fox.
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And while Fox told the director to “be careful what you wish for,” Fox understood what Guggenheim meant. In fact, Fox himself will tell you that his Parkinson’s diagnosis “is a gift.”
“It’s very complicated. […] It’s the gift that keeps on taking, but it has changed my life in so many positive ways.”
Now, he’s an inspiration to everyone who takes a moment to really listen to him and what he’s done with his life.
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But the inspiring optimist he is today hasn’t been steady. Fox admits that there were moments throughout the “tsunami of misfortune” that left him with bouts of depression.
Yet, as he details the two broken arms, a broken shoulder, a smashed orbital bone and cheek, and a broken hand that “got infected and then I almost lost it,” he does so with pride. He’s a “tough son of a b****.”
And yet despite his optimism, Fox knows he’ll “one day run out of gas. One day I’ll just say, ‘It’s not going to happen. I’m not going out today.’”
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“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.”
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, this isn’t the first time Michael J. Fox has been an open book about his life with Parkinson’s Disease. During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Fox revealed that life “is getting tougher. Every day it’s tougher.”
Fox admits he believes he can see his future. And he admits he doesn’t think he will I’ve to see his 80th year.
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“My life is set up so I can pack Parkinson’s along with me if I have to,” Fox told host Jane Pauley before she asked if Parkinson’s will “make the call at some point.” Fox heartbreakingly replied, saying, “Yeah, it’s banging on the door.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher. That’s, that’s the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that? …”
Michael J. Fox, who bravely battled Parkinson’s disease for 33 years, now copes with its challenges. He relies on medication to combat facial muscle paralysis, causing involuntary movements. Despite his struggles, Fox’s positive outlook on life inspires many.
Director Davis Guggenheim, who spent time with Fox, wished for a similar perspective. Fox acknowledged that Parkinson’s is a complex gift, “It’s the gift that keeps on taking, but it has changed my life in so many positive ways.”
Fox’s journey hasn’t been easy. He faced bouts of depression amid a series of injuries, including broken bones and surgeries. Nevertheless, he remains resilient, saying, “I’m a tough son of a b****.”
Acknowledging his mortality at 62, Fox isn’t afraid of the future. He understands that one day he may decide, “I’m not going out today.”
While life with Parkinson’s grows tougher, Fox remains determined, though he doesn’t expect to see his 80th year. He’s ready to carry Parkinson’s with him as long as needed, but acknowledges that it’s “banging on the door.”
