Michael J. Fox has long been facing the challenges brought on by his battle with Parkinson’s disease, yet he remains as resolute as ever, despite incredible hurdles.

The beloved former actor has become a symbol of resilience against this debilitating condition over the years. Since being diagnosed in the early ’90s, he has dedicated himself to advocating for research and understanding of the disease.

Recently, the Back to the Future star has opened up about his ongoing struggles, acknowledging that his health is worsening and expressing doubts about living to see his 80th birthday.

Historically, Fox, now 61, has often maintained a positive outlook toward his Parkinson’s diagnosis and never shied away from discussing the severe impact on his health and overall well-being.

In a moving recent interview, Fox addressed his mortality, sharing that living with Parkinson’s was becoming “gettin’ tougher”.

“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher,” Fox confided to CBS Sunday Morning anchor Jane Pauley.

“Every day it’s tougher. But, but, that’s, that’s the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that?”

During the interview, he revealed that after undergoing spinal surgery to remove a benign tumor, his ability to walk was compromised, leading to several injuries from falls. “[I] broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand,” he recounted to Pauley.

“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s,” Fox concluded. “I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it. … I’m not gonna be 80. I’m not gonna be 80.”

Fox’s battle with the brain disorder – which he was diagnosed with in 1991 after noticing a tremor in his pinkie finger – is once again in the spotlight as his new documentary Still is set to be released. The film chronicles his life over the past three decades.

Reports state that in the documentary, Fox admits: “I’m in intense pain. Each tremor is like a seismic jolt.”

In a recent interview with The Times newspaper, he elaborated: “It’s not so much pain from the movement, but from the not moving. It’s when you freeze, and in that freezing that not-movement becomes infused with all this energy and it becomes this burning, impending thing that never happens.

“I don’t want to get the violins out. I’ve broken my hand, my elbow, my humerus, my other humerus, my shoulder, my face and some other s— too. And all that stuff is amplified by the electricity of the tremors. So, yes, it hurts a lot. But what you learn is that nobody gives a s—. It’s just life. It doesn’t matter. You suck it up and you move on. And there might be a story to tell in it. But only that. There’s no chit that you can present to a window for a refund.”

Despite the overwhelming challenges, Fox is determined to remain optimistic. He bravely stated that he’s “not going anywhere.”

Although he officially retired in 2021 due to his worsening health, Fox remains steadfast. “The depression is [not] so deep that I’m going to injure myself … it always comes back to a place where I go, ‘Well, there’s more to celebrate in my life than there is to mourn.’ The pain speaks for itself. You either tolerate it or you don’t. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Watch the trailer for Fox’s documentary below:

I don’t know about you, but I am greatly inspired by Michael J. Fox’s courage in the face of such adversity. He truly exemplifies what it means to be a role model.

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