Michael J. Fox opens up about his battle with Parkinson’s disease: “My short memory is shot.”

Back to the Future star Michael J.Fox opened up about his health condition and revealed that the Parkinson’s disease he was diagnosed with almost 30 years ago, when he was just 29, is taking its toll and is affecting his short time memory.

Michael disclosed his condition with the public in 1998 and semi-retired from acting two years later as his health worsened. It took young Michael a lot of time to accept the reality, but he finally decided to make the best out of his life despite the struggles the disease forced him to face.

The actor, who has won five Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, told People, “My short-term memory is shot.”

He also said how he used to have a “real proficiency for lines and memorization,” but how “the last couple of years have been trickier than most.” Michael added, “And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them.” 

Recently, in an interview with comedian Mike Birbiglia, Michael opened up about never-before-shared aspects of his condition and explained that he had lost his sense of smell. Although this saddened him a great deal, he said he still remembers most of the smells, including that of pine, just before Christmas.

Although it is a common belief that tremor is the first symptom of Parkinson’s Disease, research reveals that most people diagnosed with it lose their sense of smell months, and even years before the diagnosis.

 

 

 

 

 

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