Michael J Fox has revealed he often “can’t stop laughing” at his symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The Back To The Future actor, who was diagnosed with the illness 26 years ago, said he regularly sees the funny side of his inability to perform basic tasks.
In an interview with AARP magazine, Michael described how he carried a cup of coffee to his wife Tracy and, after spilling most it, he told her: “Here’s your coffee, dear – enjoy!”
“The truth is that on most days, there comes a point where I literally can’t stop laughing at my own symptoms,” he said.
Michael J Fox (Ian West/PA)
“The thing that makes it hilarious to me is when I think of someone else watching all this and thinking, ‘Poor Michael can’t even get the coffee – it’s so sad’.”
Michael, 55, said that going public with his diagnosis in 1998 meant he had to deal with “people’s perception of the condition”.
“It was easy for me to tune in to the way other people were looking into my eyes and seeing their own fear reflected back,” he told the magazine.
“I’d assure them that ‘I’m doing great’ – because I was.
Michael J Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan (PA)
“After a while, the disconnect between the way I felt and the dread people were projecting just seemed, you know, funny.”
Michael also warned against health cuts to so-called Obamacare, saying Parkinson’s disease sufferers face average annual bills of up to 17,000 dollars (£13,600).
He said: “If the Affordable Care Act and even Medicare come under the knife, that’s not political. That’s our lives.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here