Michael J. Fox tells Letterman about life with Parkinson's, and the hunt for a cure

Michael J. Fox talks about life with Parkinson&#039;s, and the hunt for a cure — (Image credit: Late Show)

Finding out you have Parkinson's disease, as actor Michael J. Fox did 22 years ago, is "pretty scary," Fox told David Letterman on Wednesday's Late Show. But there are worse diagnoses, he said, and "to be kind of corny about it, once you accept it, and you learn about it.... and realize you are in a position to do something about it, and to make a difference and to help, well then it's just, like, quit your bitching and get on with it."

Fox's foundation is financing research on Parkinson's, and like all medical research, there are promising advances and lots of disappointments, Fox said, but science is making progress. He clearly doesn't have full control of his movement, but Fox still has a pretty good sense of humor. Watch him talk about his life and work below. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.