The first symptom Michael J. Fox noticed was a twitch in his pinky finger.
Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the height of his career when he was just 29 years old. Earlier on in his battle with the disease, he was extremely private about it—but then, almost a decade after he was diagnosed in 1991, Fox decided to open up about his condition. As an advocate for Parkinson's patients, Fox felt it essential to share what the first subtle sign of the illness was for him, so that others would know what red flags they shouldn't ignore. To see what sign you should keep an eye out for, read on.
In 1999, Fox broke his silence on his Parkinson's diagnosis for the first time, discussing the intricacies of the disease with People. While Parkinson's more commonly affects older people—the average age of onset is 60 years old, according to Johns Hopkins—Fox was diagnosed before he turned 30 after noticing something strange with his hand.
Fox told People that he first noticed a twitch in his left pinkie while he was on the set of the movie Doc Hollywood. At first, he didn't think much of the tremor, but he then underwent some tests and received the Parkinson's diagnosis, which was "incomprehensible" to him at the time, he said.
Over the years, Fox's condition has progressed—and unfortunately, it's happened faster than he'd hoped. "The doctor said I would be able to function for years and years," Fox told People. However, soon after his diagnosis, his entire left side succumbed to stiffness and tremors. "And I mean big tremors," he said. He explained that he experienced a tremor so big that he "could mix a margarita in five seconds."
At the time of the 1999 interview, Fox told People he was on medication to address his milder symptoms of Parkinson's, such as rigidity in his hips, tremors in his hands, and a tapping feeling in his feet. Fox added that sometimes his arms and wrists would be so stiff, he was unable to pick up the TV remote.
In a more recent interview with People in 2020, Fox said the illness is now affecting his word recall. "My short-term memory is shot," he said. "I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization. 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."
Fox said he now focuses mostly on writing as most of his other abilities are limited. "My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and acting is getting tougher to do. So it's down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it."
Fox began his fight against Parkinson's with awe-inspiring optimism. "It's made me stronger. A million times wiser. And more compassionate. I've realized I'm vulnerable, that no matter how many awards I'm given or how big my bank account is, I can be messed with like that," Fox told People in 1999.
While he admits that he has gone through tough times and experienced low points he couldn't find a silver lining in, he's been able to return to that sense of optimism, which he said is "rooted in gratitude."
In his fourth memoir, No Time Like the Future, which came out in 2020, Fox wrote that "optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from that is acceptance. Accepting that this thing has happened, and you accept it for what it is." He continued: "It doesn't mean that you can't endeavor to change. It doesn't mean you have to accept it as a punishment or a penance, but just put it in its proper place. Then see how much the rest of your life you have to thrive in, and then you can move on."
A tremor in your finger is only one of the early signs of Parkinson's to keep an eye out for. According to the Parkinson's Foundation, difficulty sleeping, trouble walking, constipation, a low voice, dizziness, fainting, and standing with a hunched posture can all be early signs of the disease.
Some more peculiar initial red flags that could signal Parkinson's include smaller handwriting, a loss of smell, and a masked or emotionless face.
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