When it comes to his decades-long battle with Parkinson’s disease, Michael J. Fox doesn’t mince words. In a new TV interview, the beloved actor opens up about his prognosis and how he’s dealing with the fact that he likely doesn’t have too many more years ahead of him now that his disease has considerably progressed.
Michael’s interview aired on CBS’ ‘Sunday Morning.’
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The Back to the Future star sat down with Jane Pauley and spoke candidly of his future. “I’m not gonna be 80,” he said, noting that death is “banging on the door” for him.
“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher,” he continued.
Things got complicated recently when he had to have spinal surgery.
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A procedure to remove a benign tumor that had begun growing on his spine “messed up” his ability to walk, causing Michael to experience frequent falls that have resulted in several broken bones, including his arm, face, elbow, and hand.
But that’s not his biggest worry. According to the 61-year-old, he is more likely to die from some of the other common Parkinson’s complications .
Michael described some of the other things that could go wrong due to his disease.
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There are a few other “big killer” complications that may end Michael’s life, including those frequent falls and “aspirating food and getting pneumonia.”
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s,” Michael noted, adding that it’s caused him to think increasingly about his mortality.
Despite a grim prognosis, Michael remains inspiringly upbeat.
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During a 2021 interview with AARP , he talked about how any discovery of a cure won’t be able to help him during his lifetime because “science is hard.” Instead, it seems he’s content to focus on all the good things that have already happened in his life and the possibility of more happiness to come.
He said he doesn’t have a “morbid thought” in his head. “I don’t fear death. At all,” he insisted.
Michael really does have a lot to be happy about.
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The Family Ties star has been married to wife Tracy Pollan since 1988, and the couple shares four adult children. Health battles aside, Michael truly has had a wonderful life.
Hopefully he can continue to look on the bright side and keep working on fundraising efforts via his foundation to help find a cure for the disease, even if he won’t necessarily benefit from those efforts in the end.
