Michael J. Fox and Susanna Hoffs.Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation; Angie Coqueran/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Michael J. Foxis revealing just how much Parkinson’s disease affects his memory.
In an interview withThe Sunday Timesahead of the release of upcoming documentary,Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, the actor opened up about the long-term memory loss he’s experienced after being diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 1991 at age 29.
“When I look at that period in the [documentary] it just seems crazy,” Fox, 61, admitted in the piece, published over the weekend. “Look at all the girls I dated. Some of them I can’t even remember.”
“I mean, I dated Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles, and I can’t even remember it,” theTeen Wolfactor continued. “But that’s just an example. Stuff like that happened all the time.”
Fox and Hoffs, 64, dated for a short time in 1986 before the actor marriedTracy Pollanin 1988. The “Manic Monday” singer marriedAustin Powersdirector Jay Roach in 1993.
Parkinson’s is an incurable, degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Problems with cognitive function — including forgetfulness and trouble with concentration, as well as short-term and long-term memory loss — are one of the symptoms, beyond the obvious tremors and rigidity.
“My short-term memory is shot,” Fox told PEOPLE in November 2020. “I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization. And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them.”
Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan.Noam Galai/Getty
“[It’s] the gift that keeps on taking,” Fox said of Parkinson’s toJane PauleyonCBS Sunday Morningearlier this month. “I’m not gonna lie. It’s getting harder. Every day it’s tougher.”
He went on to detail the most difficult symptoms. “[Falling] is a big killer with Parkinson’s,” Fox explained, noting that he has suffered two broken arms, a broken hand and broken bones in his face as a result of falls. “It’s falling, and aspirating food and pneumonia – all these subtle ways that [it] gets you. You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. I’m not gonna be 80.”
Despite each day “getting harder” while living with the disease for “30 plus years,” Fox told Pauley that he’s focused on gratitude because of how he’s been able to live with Parkinson’s over time.
“I recognize how hard this is for people, and I recognize how hard it is for me, but I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff,” Fox said. “And I realize, with gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you can find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to, and you carry on.”
Fans of the actor will get to know more about Fox’s health journey in his upcoming documentary,Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
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Asked during a Q&A how he “mobilized” people to care about Parkinson’s, he responded: “I didn’t have a choice,” adding: “This is it. I have to give everything I have, and it’s not lip service. I show up and do the best I can.”
“Pity is a benign form of abuse. I can feel sorry for myself, but I don’t have time for that,” Fox added. “There is stuff to be learned from this, so let’s do that and move on.”
source: people.com
