How Is Michael J. Fox's Health Lately?

Michael J. Fox's journey from being the coolest kid of the 80s to becoming the founder of one of the leading Parkinson's research foundations has been an amazing thing to witness. In 1998, Fox opened up to the world about being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease seven years prior, according to Biography.

Parkinson's disease is a "progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement," according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can include tremors, slowed movement, impaired posture and balance, and speech and writing changes. According to Everyday Health, Parkinson's has affected celebrities other than Fox such as Muhammad Ali, Neil Diamond, Jesse Jackson, Ozzy Osbourne, and Linda Ronstadt.

In the past, Fox gave AARP a little insight into what it really feels like to have Parkinson's disease. "It's like your gyroscope is off," Fox said. "I can be shaky. I can be slow. I can wake up with festination" (which means involuntary foot shuffling) "and I'll say, 'This is going to be a struggle today.'" Fox's wife Tracy Pollan also shared how his prognosis was affecting his family. "Sometimes the kids will need their dad's help and he'll say, 'I'm not feeling great right now,'" Pollan said. "But on the flip side, the first thing he does is go back to the kids when he's feeling good. It teaches them patience and empathy." Now, Fox is back in the news with an update on where his health journey currently is, and we are all ears ready to listen.

According to his website, Michael J. Fox learned about his Parkinson's diagnosis back in 1991. Ever since then, the prognosis of his diagnosis has given him some good news and sometimes bad news, too. But on October 20, Fox gave a much-needed positive update on the current status of his health battles. "I'm in a really good groove," Fox told People. "Every day is different. The circle [of what I can do] gets smaller. But I'm happy I've found things in the middle of the circle that can't be touched, like my family and the time I have with them." Fox highlighted practicing gratitude as a thing that improved his day-to-day life. "You can be a realist and an optimist at the same time," he reflected. "If I don't accept it, I can't move forward."

Even though being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is a tough hill to battle, Fox's determination to find a cure helped create The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which will celebrate 20 years on October 23. According to ​​The Guardian, The Michael J Fox Foundation has raised over $140 million in the past eight years, making them the leading Parkinson's fundraiser in the United States. The MJFF has also raised over $1 billion dollars to date since its foundation.