CANDID CHAT

Michael J. Fox Says He Won’t Live to Be 80 Amid Parkinson’s Battle

“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher,” he told CBS. “It’s banging on the door... I’m not gonna be 80.”

Michael J. Fox, 61, has opened about his 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, telling CBS Sunday Morning his health is deteriorating. “I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher,” he said. “It’s banging on the door... I’m not gonna be 80.” Fox said he had surgery to remove a benign tumor on his spine but the operation “messed up” his walking and he started breaking bones in his arm, elbow, face and hand. “You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s,” the Family Ties actor said. “So I’ve been–I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it.” Fox was 29 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, launching the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000, and becoming a fierce advocate and fundraiser for those living with the disease.