Over several years, the illness gradually damages various areas of the brain. Tremors, slow motion, and stiff and inflexible muscles are the three basic symptoms.

Fox said that he has sustained a number of wounds from falling, including fractures to his face and other body parts and a benign tumor on his spine. “You don’t die from Parkinson’s, you die with (the ailment),” he continued, “you don’t die from all these subtle ways that get you. I won’t live to be eighty.”

“I recognize how difficult this is for people and how challenging it is for me, but I have a specific set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff, and I realize that optimism is sustainable when practiced with gratitude,” he continued. “Finding something to be thankful for gives you something to look forward to and allows you to move on.”

According to the charity’s website, Fox established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000, which has raised more than $1.75 billion for research funding. The foundation also funded a study that claimed to have established a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease. It was published in April.

“This changes everything,” Fox remarked. “I know where we are now. In five years, we will be able to diagnose it, predict if you will ever contract it, and know how to treat it.”

The actor, who is married to Tracy Pollan and has four kids, announced his retirement in 2020. In November, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governors Awards, an honorary Oscar recognizing exceptional philanthropic achievements. He will also soon produce an Apple TV+ documentary. A Michael J. Fox film, still.