With Michael J. Fox’s documentary from Apple Original Films set to stream next week, it’s a reminder of an almost forgotten mini-documentary about that aired almost fifteen years ago, that showed Fox’s amazement at his Parkinson’s symptoms suddenly easing and remaining relatively unobtrusive for the course of several days.
STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie doesn’t expect to live to 80.
In 2009, ABC aired a documentary — perhaps more accurately described as a one-hour Michael J. Fox TV special — called Adventures of an Incurable Optimist. A portion of the special showed goosebump-inducing footage of Fox’s symptoms mysteriously disappearing — almost, but not quite entirely. At the time, Fox had been living with Parkinson’s disease for two decades and, although his symptoms are significantly more obvious now then they were them, Fox was still very clearly experiencing them at that time.
The special followed Michael J. Fox on his journey to the tiny nation of Bhutan, which is often named as one of the most peaceful places on Earth. Fox participated in numerous activities in the high-altitude terrain, and viewers of the special can observe that he seems unaffected by Parkinson’s. Obviously, Fox took notice as well, and (beginning at the 20:30 mark of the below video) acknowledges this on-camera by explaining to viewers the following:
“I don’t know if you noticed but since I’ve been in Bhutan my symptoms have been really diminished. It’s been the strangest thing. I’ve had less tremor. I’ve had less Bradykinesia, which is the shuffling and the kind of halting movement. And that’s why I’m gonna take less medication. So, I don’t know whether that’s from the altitude or whether it’s from the medication I’ve taken for the altitude sickness, or whether it’s just Bhutan.”
Fox also explained all the things he was able to do because of the diminished symptoms, which was everything from enjoying a show at a festival, to climbing halfway up a mountain to see the monastery known as The Tiger’s Nest. This went on for days with no full understanding of what actually caused his symptoms to all but disappear.
One has to assume that those symptoms returned shortly after his trip, but one has to also wonder if he continued using the same medication thereafter and, if so, did it make any noticeable affect even for a brief time afterwards? Furthermore, did Fox ever return to Bhutan, or ever consider returning?
The mystery remains.
STILL, the documentary about his life and career, is set to have its streaming premiere on Apple TV+ on May 12.
Published: May 2, 2023 04:59 pm