Fox first revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1991, when he was at the height of his fame. In the early years, he hid symptoms on set — even holding props to disguise the tremors in his hand. But decades later, the disease has taken a toll on his body.
“I don’t walk that much anymore,” he admitted. “I can walk, but it’s not pretty — and it’s a bit dangerous.”
Years of performing his own stunts left him vulnerable to serious injuries:
“In a three-year period I broke my elbow, I broke my hand, I got a big infection and almost lost a finger.”
Still, Fox refuses to let his illness define him. “I see other people’s work, and it makes me think I might still find something that’s for me — as an actor, writer, parent, husband, and friend,” he said.
He knows the reality of Parkinson’s — that it doesn’t kill you directly but makes life more fragile. As he put it poignantly:
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. … I’m not gonna be 80.”
Even so, Michael J. Fox’s story isn’t one of tragedy — it’s one of resilience. Through every fall and every setback, he’s shown what true courage looks like: meeting pain with purpose, humor, and love.
Michael J. Fox remains a hero to millions — proof that strength isn’t about what you can do, but what you keep doing in spite of it.
