Michael J. Fox no longer walks after “breaking so many bones” amid his battle with Parkinson’s.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Back to the Future star has given a fresh update on the progression of his illness, having been diagnosed with the neurological disorder in 1991 when he was just 29.
Walking Fears
Fox, here with wife Tracy Pollan, says his body was already brittle due to the amount of injuries he’s sustained in his career.
And according to Fox, now 64, he is now at a stage where he’s fearful of moving in case he falls.
He said his vulnerability to breaking bones began during the peak of his acting career, where he was seen on screen doing everything from somersaulting over people to sliding across car bonnets.
“And that’s (the point) where I break stuff, it’s absolutely incredible the stuff I broke.
“In a three-year period I broke my elbow, I broke my hand, I got a big infection in my hand and I almost lost my finger,” he recalled.
Fox went on to say: “I take it easy now, I don’t walk that much any more. I can walk but it’s not pretty and it’s a bit dangerous.”
Acting Comeback
Fox is making his acting comeback in ‘Shrinking’ alongside Harrison Ford.
But Fox isn’t letting his decades-long battle with the disease slow him down from achieving his professional or personal ambitions.
Over the decades, Fox has become one of the most prominent advocates for Parkinson’s research through his Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has raised over $2billion to fund scientific breakthroughs and treatments.
While he stepped back from acting in 2020 due to health challenges related to the disease, Fox recently filmed a guest arc on Apple TV’s Emmy-nominated series Shrinking and is promoting his fifth book, Future Boy.
He said: “I see other people’s work, and it makes me think that I might be able to find something that’s for me as an actor and as a writer.
“And as a parent, husband and friend, I have a lot left to do.”
Career First
Fox, pictured with ‘Back to the Future’ co-star Christopher Lloyd, will play a character with Parkinson’s in ‘Shrinking’.
In Shrinking, which stars Harrison Ford, Michael played a character with Parkinson’s, which marks a first for him.
“It was the first time ever I get to show up on set, and I didn’t have to worry about am I too tired or coughing or anything,” he says. “I just do it.”
His approach to navigating Parkinson’s, which affects his movement, speech, and coordination, remains deeply pragmatic and hopeful.
“I wake up and get the message of what the day is gonna be like, and I try to adjust to it,” he said.
“I keep getting new challenges physically, and I get through it. I roll around in a wheelchair a lot, and it took some getting used to.”
Foxw was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January by Joe Biden.
Reflecting on the past year, Michael, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January in recognition of his advocacy, said things have “just been really positive, really energizing.”
“If you put your mind to it,” he insisted. “You can do anything.”
The actor and his wife Tracy Pollan, who wed in 1988, share four children, Sam, 36, twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, 30, and Esmé, 23.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 29 while filming Doc Hollywood, after experiencing a sore shoulder.
The actor went public with his diagnosis in 1998.
