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Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 08:20 AM Apr 2016

Michael J. Fox Losing ‘Heartbreaking’ Fight Against Parkinson’s Disease

In 1982, a struggling young Canadian-born actor named Michael J. Fox achieved his big breakthrough when he began a run portraying Alex P. Keaton, the conservative son of decidedly liberal parents Steven and Elyse Keaton, on the hit NBC sitcom Family Ties — a role for which he garnered three consecutive Emmy awards as Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. A few years later, he leveraged that break into international stardom when he was cast (as a replacement for actor Eric Stoltz) to play Marty McFly, the lead character in the hugely popular 1985 adventure-comedy film Back to the Future.

In 1991, however, when Fox was barely 30 and at the peak of his success, he sought medical treatment for a twitch in his finger, and the following year he received the devastating diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD), a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and is typically symptomized by involuntarily body movements and debilitating tremors (and is usually seen in people over the age of 60). Fox gamely concealed his condition while he continued working (primarily playing Mike Flaherty, the fictional Deputy Mayor of New York, in the ABC sitcom Spin City), but in 1998 he finally went public with the announcement that he was suffering from the disease and embarked upon a second career as a spokesperson and activist for Parkinson's research.

Despite his condition, Fox has soldiered on with his acting career, most recently starring as Mike Henry in NBC's The Michael J. Fox Show portraying a newscaster with Parkinson's who retires from work, and also playing a recurring role on the CBS drama The Good Wife as Louis Canning, an opposing counsel who suffers from tardive dyskinesia (involuntary visual tremors) and often uses his condition to his advantage by repeatedly calling attention to it in order to elicit sympathy during court appearances.

Some medications (or even brain surgery, which Fox underwent in 1998), can provide relief from PD symptoms, but they cannot completely check the progression of the disease. It's possible that in the not-too-distant future Michael J. Fox will, as Radar Online implied, lose the ability to walk on his own and require the use of a wheelchair and/or face the onset of dementia. But many different factors affect the timing and nature of PD's progression, and so it's impossible to predict exactly how and when any given individual will experience certain aspects of that progression.



Fox said he typically wakes up shaking uncontrollably, joking that he brushes his teeth with an electric toothbrush even though he doesn't own one.

http://www.snopes.com/2016/04/10/michael-j-fox-parkinsons/
33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Michael J. Fox Losing ‘Heartbreaking’ Fight Against Parkinson’s Disease (Original Post) Sunlei Apr 2016 OP
dude lived an entire life living it Fred Drum Apr 2016 #1
Wish there was more progress with stem cell and gene therapy treatments. fetal stem cell research ha Sunlei Apr 2016 #4
I admire him so much Marrah_G Apr 2016 #2
He's a good man madokie Apr 2016 #3
Michael, You are an inspiration to us all! peace13 Apr 2016 #5
He's phenomenal. Happyhippychick Apr 2016 #6
I saw him near City Hall in NYC when he was playing the mayor in Spin City LiberalElite Apr 2016 #7
He's got a great sense of humor. He did an awesome episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm kysrsoze Apr 2016 #26
A beautiful man.. mountain grammy Apr 2016 #8
Good old Rushbo making fun of MJF keithbvadu2 Apr 2016 #9
Apart from playing with his money, The Vulgar Pigboy doesn't have much to look forward to. Octafish Apr 2016 #15
A pox on him... Fritz Walter Apr 2016 #17
And yet inexplicably he's still alive. Initech Apr 2016 #24
This made Snopes. leftyladyfrommo Apr 2016 #10
his family is pretty great too. greymouse Apr 2016 #11
good point Greymouse, half our Fed budget to 'defense'. Gov. funded research ends, due to 'no funds' Sunlei Apr 2016 #16
Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Apr 2016 #12
Prayers and healing thoughts go out to him left-of-center2012 Apr 2016 #13
This is a very cruel disease... Blue Idaho Apr 2016 #14
I watched my grandfather AwakeAtLast Apr 2016 #20
No other word describes it. Blue Idaho Apr 2016 #23
You can't get much better as a human being. Elmer S. E. Dump Apr 2016 #18
I admire this man. And would like to say that if I had to jwirr Apr 2016 #19
saw an old Family ties with MJF and bluesman. lovely. Mary Mac Apr 2016 #21
I love him lunatica Apr 2016 #22
k&r Liberal_in_LA Apr 2016 #25
Thank you, Michael. oldandhappy Apr 2016 #27
I watched an deathrind Apr 2016 #28
He's one of the best! Wonderful actor and wonderful person!!! n/t RKP5637 Apr 2016 #29
Talked with him on email about causes of the disease. Wonderful person. bkkyosemite Apr 2016 #30
k/r -- I appreciate all he's done to raise awareness of Parkinson's fishwax Apr 2016 #31
longtime fan of Mr. Fox Skittles Apr 2016 #32
So sad :( romanic Apr 2016 #33

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
4. Wish there was more progress with stem cell and gene therapy treatments. fetal stem cell research ha
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 08:57 AM
Apr 2016

Fetal Stem cell research has decades of political delay in the USA. I don't think our American insurance will pay for any stem cell treatments and people wealthy enough can go to foreign countries to receive some treatments.


The only gene therapy research with positive research went out of business due to lack of funding. Their research did have positive results, but they are closed today.

AAV2-GAD gene therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, sham-surgery controlled, randomised trial

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(11)70039-4/abstract

edited to add URL for Government listing for research gene therapy

https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00643890

Marrah_G

(28,581 posts)
2. I admire him so much
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 08:32 AM
Apr 2016

Even before he got sick , he held himself to a higher standard then many in Hollywood.

 

peace13

(11,076 posts)
5. Michael, You are an inspiration to us all!
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 08:59 AM
Apr 2016

Sending love to you and your family. Thank you for showing us the way!

Happyhippychick

(8,379 posts)
6. He's phenomenal.
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 09:01 AM
Apr 2016

He has educated the public so well on this heartbreaking disease and he has helped millions who suffer with his inspiration and positive outlook.

LiberalElite

(14,691 posts)
7. I saw him near City Hall in NYC when he was playing the mayor in Spin City
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 09:05 AM
Apr 2016

They were shooting still photos of him as he stood next to a hot dog cart, holding a hot dog with mustard. Somehow he managed to get mustard streaked across his cheek (must have been the Parkinson's) and jokingly yelled "Makeup!" Soon after he was ushered across the street surrounded by big bodyguards.

kysrsoze

(6,010 posts)
26. He's got a great sense of humor. He did an awesome episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm
Sun Apr 24, 2016, 12:19 AM
Apr 2016

He seemed OK when he was on Jimmy Kimmel for the Back to the Future anniversary. I hate to see people subjected to such hardship, but he's a trooper.

keithbvadu2

(36,360 posts)
9. Good old Rushbo making fun of MJF
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 09:17 AM
Apr 2016


Rush who takes someone else's Viagra to a child prostitution resort area and gets his oxycontin from his housekeeper/pharmacist.

Rush knows about medications for his own ailments.

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
15. Apart from playing with his money, The Vulgar Pigboy doesn't have much to look forward to.
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 10:35 AM
Apr 2016

Goes by fast, Rushbo.

Fritz Walter

(4,281 posts)
17. A pox on him...
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 11:04 AM
Apr 2016

...and all the Ditto-heads who still listen to him!


Saddened by the news of Mr. Fox. To paraphrase Bill Hicks (RIP), all our heroes are gone -- or going -- while these demons still roam the earth!

leftyladyfrommo

(18,815 posts)
10. This made Snopes.
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 09:26 AM
Apr 2016

They said he is going downhill just like anyone with that disease but I don't think he's critical or anything.

greymouse

(872 posts)
11. his family is pretty great too.
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 09:26 AM
Apr 2016

Just think if half the US federal budget didn't go to "defense." How about defense against Parkinson's, Alzheimers, cancer...

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
16. good point Greymouse, half our Fed budget to 'defense'. Gov. funded research ends, due to 'no funds'
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 10:37 AM
Apr 2016

This Government funded gene therapy research even had such a positive result, they wanted to offer treatment to those in the study who didn't receive it- "blinded portion of the study will be invited to crossover".

Then doomsday- "This study has been terminated. (Due to financial reasons)"

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00643890

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
13. Prayers and healing thoughts go out to him
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 10:23 AM
Apr 2016

Always enjoyed his characters, and most recently his role on The Good Wife.

Blue Idaho

(4,987 posts)
14. This is a very cruel disease...
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 10:31 AM
Apr 2016

I watched a dear friend disappear into dementia in three years. Though I know that isn't always how the disease presents itself, I hope MJF can prolong the inevitable as long as possible.

jwirr

(39,215 posts)
19. I admire this man. And would like to say that if I had to
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 01:39 PM
Apr 2016

chose between the wheelchair and dementia I would take the wheelchair - it is a tool to be used to overcome a problem. That is how I think MJF will take it. Dementia is horrible.

oldandhappy

(6,719 posts)
27. Thank you, Michael.
Sun Apr 24, 2016, 12:20 AM
Apr 2016

Thank you for all you have done for advocacy on Parkinson's. My dad died of it and I have an awareness of your situation and am amazed at all your have done.

deathrind

(1,786 posts)
28. I watched an
Sun Apr 24, 2016, 12:31 AM
Apr 2016

Episode of "Inside the Actors Studio" about him. Half way thru the show he had to take a break in order to get more medication to reduce the involuntary movements.

He is an extraordinary human. The world could use more people like him. Who knows where we might be today with treatment or potential cures for PD and other diseases had religion not been able to inject itself into politics.

bkkyosemite

(5,792 posts)
30. Talked with him on email about causes of the disease. Wonderful person.
Sun Apr 24, 2016, 12:44 AM
Apr 2016

Back to the Future was filmed where I lived.

fishwax

(29,146 posts)
31. k/r -- I appreciate all he's done to raise awareness of Parkinson's
Sun Apr 24, 2016, 12:44 AM
Apr 2016

I've always enjoyed his acting, and everything I've heard has suggested he's a good guy all around.

romanic

(2,841 posts)
33. So sad :(
Sun Apr 24, 2016, 04:15 AM
Apr 2016

He's lived an amazing life and his activism speaks volumes on the need for a cure. I don't know too much about Parkinson's but it seems like our country could come up with something to treat it more effectively. If only we didn't put so much priority over defense and military spending...

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