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Gleanings from AARP’s Cover Story on Michael J. Fox
AARP Magazine just published a cover story on Michael J. Fox, the famed actor perhaps best known for his “Back to the Future” flicks – and who is now probably the most famous Parkie in the world. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s some 30 years ago, when he was about 30 years old. He continued to act until recently, and in 2000, he started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has grown into the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s research in the world. As of today, his foundation has funneled over $1 billion dollars into Parkinson’s research.
What are some of the major take-aways from his current coverage in AARP Magazine? Let’s check them out below. All quotes from the article are in italics.
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- The cover. Michael’s sitting on some kind of black box. He’s wearing light purple pants, a black t-shirt and black leather jacket, and he is smiling with an unshaven face. All in all, a great look.
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- The jokes. No matter how he’s feeling inside, he’s still a comedian. When the AARP interviewer asks how he’s doing at the start of the interview, Fox replies, “Above average, for a brain-damaged human.”
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- The honesty. He explains Parkinson’s disease so that others understand it. “People often think of Parkinson’s as a visual thing, but the visuals of it are nothing. On any given day, my hands could be barely shaking, or they could be…” and he wildly thrashes his hands about. “It’s what you can’t see – the lack of an inner gyroscope, a sense of balance, of peripheral perception. I mean, I’m sailing a ship on stormy seas on the brightest of days.”
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- Avoidance of what he’s no longer capable of, and starting something new that he can do. Once he gave up acting, he took up golf, and he continues to write (four memoirs, among other things).
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- Other medical issues. As I wrote in a previous blog post, “You’d think that once you’re stricken with a devastating illness like Parkinson’s, you’d get a free pass on other medical calamities. But that’s not how life works.” In Michael’s case, he had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his spine. Then, while training himself to walk again, he fell and smashed his left arm to smithereens. Doctors repaired the arm with a metal plate and 19 screws.
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- Honesty again. “As I wrote in my latest book, I’m now out of the lemonade business….I’m really blunt with people about cures. When they ask me if I will be relieved of Parkinson’s in my lifetime, I say, ‘I’m 60 years old, and science is hard. So, no.’”
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- Advice for other Parkies. “You have to live your life and also avoid letting yourself get isolated and marginalized….To live with [Parkinson’s], you need to exercise and be in shape and to eat well. You have to be involved socially. Maintain friendships. If you can’t drive, find a way to get around. Make the effort; don’t say, ‘Oh, I don’t have anything to say to Bob.’ Bob might have something to say to you. Just make the call – and connect.”
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Final pitch: The Fox Foundation and many other research institutions are desperately seeking volunteers for all kinds of clinical trials. Participating in Parkinson’s research is both fascinating and fun – and practically everyone you work with is extremely friendly.
Follow these links to learn more:
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Note: The Michael J Fox Foundation is serious about its work, but it also throws a wild party. Check this out: click!
