PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Michael J Fox, who has been suffering from Parkinson’s since 1991, recently revealed that his condition is getting “harder.” Some fans of the ‘Still’ actor saw firsthand how difficult it is getting for the beloved star as he almost took a fall on stage. Over the weekend, Michael J Fox stumbled on stage during a ‘Back to the Future’ Q&A session at a Fan Expo in Philadelphia.
Fortunately, the effect of the fall was mitigated because the ‘Teen Wolf’ star fell on the sofa in front of him rather than on the hard floor. Following the brief fall, the 61-year-old entertainer appeared to be unharmed as he reclaimed his seat and continued with the panel. The panel also included his ‘Back to the Future’ costars Christopher Lloyd, 84, and Tom Wilson, 64.
The trio was seen answering questions from fans during the panel discussion session. Fox played teenage time traveler Marty McFly in all three ‘Back to the Future’ movies. While Lloyd essayed the role of Dr Emmett Brown in the hit franchise, Wilson played the bully Biff Tannen.
For the event, Fox sported a casual look in a denim jacket and white t-shirt look with black jeans. He also wore a pair of comfortable white Nike sneakers and a baseball cap.
‘It’s getting tougher’
Last month, during a candid interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Fox, who has been battling Parkinson’s for more than 30 years, said that the fight is getting increasingly harder.
“It sucks, having Parkinson’s ... It's gettin' hard, it's gettin' harder. It's gettin' tougher. Every day it's tougher. But, that's the way it is,” he said. He added emphatically that he will not live to see his 80th birthday, saying, “All these subtle ways that gets ya'. You don't die from Parkinson's; you die with Parkinson's. I'm not gonna be 80. I'm not gonna be 80."
He added, “I recognize how hard this is for people and recognize how hard it is for me but I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff and I realize, with gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you can find something to be grateful for then you find something to look forward to and you carry on.”
However, Fox is not a person to sit idly and wait for the degenerative disease to take away his life’s force. Instead, he founded the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 which, according to their website, has raised more than $1.75B for research funding.
Talking about a new biomarker that has been created by a study sponsored by the charity, Fox said, “This changes everything. I know where we are right now. In five years, they will be able to tell if you have it, they will be able to tell if you’re ever going to get it and we’ll know how to treat it.”
‘My problem is I fall down’
In another interview with Variety in May, Fox said that his main problem is that he is prone to falling down. This means he needs aides around him always, which leads to a lack of privacy. Fox was quoted saying, "I have aides around me quite a bit of the time in case I fall, and that lack of privacy is hard to deal with," before adding that he is prone to depression. "I lost family members, I lost my dog, I lost freedom, I lost health. I hesitate to use the term depression, because I'm not qualified to diagnose myself, but all the signs were there," he noted.
He also came to terms with the disease and has even managed to find a silver lining. "My problem is I fall down. I trip over things and fall down and break things. And that's part of having this," he said, before adding, "But I hope that, and I feel that, I won't break as many bones tomorrow. So that's being optimistic."
