Sixty-one-year-old actor Michael J. Fox, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, says he does not believe he will make it to his 80th birthday.
During a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Fox said the disease is “banging on the door. I’m not going to lie, it’s getting hard. It’s getting harder. It’s getting tougher. Every day it’s tougher, but that’s the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that?” Fox 5 reported Saturday.
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s, you die with Parkinson’s. I’m not going to be 80,” he added.
The Mayo Clinic’s website describes the disease as a progressive disorder affecting a person’s nervous system and other parts of their body which nerves control. The clinic noted symptoms appear at a slow pace:
The first symptom may be a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder may also cause stiffness or slowing of movement.
In the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, your face may show little or no expression. Your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson’s disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.
Fox also said the disease has taken a significant toll on his life following spinal surgery for a benign tumor which affected his ability to walk.
He also said he “broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand.”
In 2022, Fox received an honorary Oscar for his work in helping fund Parkinson’s research, AFP reported.
“Fox received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual statuette for humanitarian work by a film industry figure at a black-tie gala crammed with Hollywood’s biggest stars in Los Angeles,” the outlet said.
He became a star thanks to his role in the Back to the Future movies while playing the character Marty McFly.
“The trilogy between 1985 and 1990 thrust DeLorean time machines and gravity-defying hoverboards into the popular imagination,” the report continued, adding, “In 1991, at the age of 29, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and told he had 10 years left to work.”