Michael J Fox: ‘Every step now is a frigging math problem, so I take it slow’: ohnotheydidnt

Michael J Fox: ‘Every step now is a frigging math problem, so I take it slow’

Michael J Fox: ‘Every step now is a frigging math problem, so I take it slow’ https://t.co/pIEutwf2gC
— Guardian Science (@guardianscience) November 21, 2020

Michael J. Fox recently sat down for an interview with The Guardian (via video chat) to talk about his life and career. A few major points:

He is now 59 years old, which is considered to be the average age for a Parkinson's diagnosis. He has been living with the disease for 30 years.

He had to undergo surgery in 2018 to remove a tumour on his spine, which was actually unrelated to Parkinson's. One day, when he was alone at home, he fell over and smashed his upper arm so badly it required 19 screws. The recovery from the surgery was extremely traumatic because Parkinson's made it difficult for his fragile spinal cord to cope with the aftermath, and he fell into a depression: “There is no way to put a shine on my circumstance,” [...] “Have I oversold optimism as a panacea, commodified hope? In telling other patients, ‘Chin up! It will be OK’, did I look to them to validate my optimism? Is it because I needed to validate it myself? Things don’t always turn out. Sometimes things turn shitty. My optimism is suddenly finite.”

Source

His new book is called "No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality". The interview is long but worth reading.

prdarkstar

November 21 2020, 18:11:57 UTC 3 months ago

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Parkinson's destroyed my grandmother. She too fell into a deep depression. It's an awful awful disease.

lovepollution

November 21 2020, 18:30:14 UTC 3 months ago

Yep, my grandmother suffered from it too and I honestly think it was so rapid (she died about 8 years after being diagnosed) because of how having it effected her mental health.

quiet_storm

November 21 2020, 18:56:03 UTC 3 months ago

I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine.

shayme

November 21 2020, 18:16:53 UTC 3 months ago

I get him. People don't get how hard it is to have a debilitating disease that doesn't kill you. It just slowly destroys you and everything that you are. It's so hard. To see him still have a sense of humor after living with it for 30 years is amazing!

procedurals

November 21 2020, 18:23:22 UTC 3 months ago

i admire his honesty and determination to keep going and to help others.

back to the future was my "first date" movie :) but honestly there's a lot of his 80s movies i haven't seen; need to fix that

weighty_ghost

November 21 2020, 18:32:53 UTC 3 months ago

My mom was diagnosed about 6 years ago (while having symptoms up to around 10 years) and yeah, it fucking sucks. She's frustrated every day. Exhausted to not be able to do things for herself. She was sort of in denial for awhile because she didn't have the ~usual symptoms (she isn't shaky like MJF but stiff and immobile). She is also now having issues with her back and waiting for a specialist appointment in December. So yes it sucks all around

froggster

November 21 2020, 19:20:17 UTC 3 months ago

My mom has Parkinsons as well. Diagnosed for about 15 years I think. It indeed started with stiffness and mobility issues, which then slowly changed into the shakiness which is also very painful.

yurasama_love

November 21 2020, 18:35:55 UTC 3 months ago

<3 It must be so hard to be afraid to interact with your own mom because you can't trust your body.

therearewords

November 21 2020, 18:38:00 UTC 3 months ago

He is a cinnamon roll, and I actively wish him the best in ways still possible.

arellaj

November 21 2020, 18:48:12 UTC 3 months ago

Love him so much. I'm terrified of how much my MS will progress as I get older and how much it'll affect me from doing the simplest things.

electricsoul

November 22 2020, 10:00:16 UTC 3 months ago

I agree with you 100%. I have SPMS and that fear is always there as we don’t know if we’ll be the same tomorrow as we were today. I already see what it’s doing to me and I’m terrified for what’s next :/

deseti_prsten

November 21 2020, 18:48:50 UTC 3 months ago

Idk what to say because I grew up watching him and just want all the best for him even though I know that’s not really a reality at this point. I wish there was a cure for this.

well_wellwell11

November 21 2020, 18:51:10 UTC 3 months ago

My friend who has a chronic illness has been vocal about how a lot of measures put in place for the pandemic have been needed and necessary for people with disabilities and how it is great that they are in place currently for them, but what about when it all ends? Do we go back to how we were and continue to ignore individuals' chronic illnesses?
Michael is a beautiful human and advocate.

djbbgoose

November 21 2020, 18:52:16 UTC 3 months ago

i love him a lot, i've read his prior books and they're far more honest and funny and insightful than regular celebrity books

November 21 2020, 18:57:29 UTC 3 months ago

I could’ve written this exact same comment. Totally agree!

rawr_santi

November 21 2020, 18:52:37 UTC 3 months ago

My friend saw him at a convention and told me he was trying his best to sign everything people wanted autographed himself and every time I think of it I can't help tearing up.