Story at a glance
- Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he was 29 years old.
- He is now 61 and says living with the condition is getting harder.
- Parkinson’s is the second-most common neurodegenerative in the U.S. after Alzheimer’s.
(WJW) — Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he was 29 years old. The incurable brain disorder has caused him tremors, stiffness and sometimes trouble walking and talking.
A new documentary called “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” is coming out on Apple TV+ next month detailing his struggles and triumphs over the past decades.
The “Back to the Future” and “Family Ties” star recently spoke with CBS Sunday Morning’s Jane Pauley about the film and how he’s approaching the future.
“[Parkinson’s] banging on the door … I’m not going to lie, it’s getting hard. It’s getting harder. It’s getting tougher,” he told Pauley. “Every day it’s tougher … that’s the way it is.”
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 21: Actress Tracy Pollan and Actor Michael J. Fox attend the “Back To The Future” New York special anniversary screening at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on October 21, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images) 
Actors Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox attend a “Back To The Future” discussion at New York Comic Con on October 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 21: Justin Tuck, Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan, John McEnroe, and J. Cole watch courtside during game three of the Eastern Conference playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 21, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Fox explained that after a surgery to remove a benign tumor on his spine, he’s had more trouble walking and broken multiple bones. He said Parkinson’s is something you die with, not something you die from.
“I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it .… I’m not going to be 80. I’m not going to be 80.”
The 61-year-old actor created The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000. The organization says it has raised $1.75 billion to date.
Approximately 500,000 Americans have Parkinson’s, estimates the National Institutes for Health.
The disease is characterized by nerve cells degenerating in the part of the brain that controls movement. As that happens, it causes tremors, muscle stiffness, slower movement, and poor balance.
There is no cure, but the NIH writes there are medicines, surgeries and other treatments that can help.
Parkinson’s is the second-most common neurodegenerative in the U.S. after Alzheimer’s.