Parkinson’s Disease

Comm1080 – Instructor Dr. Linda Nobis

Sara Regan, Jeff Mills, Mario Shauri, Brooks Nielsen

Oct 2013

INTRODUCTION• Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that belongs to the group of conditions called motor system disorders

• PD is the most common nervous system disorder of the elderly

• PD cannot yet be cured

• Caused by the slow deterioration of the nerve cells in the brain, which create Dopamine

• Dopamine is a natural substance found in the brain that helps control muscle movement throughout the body

Who? Both men and women; 50% more in men

50,000 American’s diagnosed each year

When? Average age 60; “early onset” early as ages 30-40

PD progresses at different rates in everyone

Effects? Normal body functions; breathing, balance, movement, and heart function declines.

Complications can lead to choking, pneumonia, and fatal falls

• born June 9th, 1961 in Canada

• Starting acting at age 15 in a CBS series “Leo and Me”

• Best known for his role as Alex Keaton on Family Ties and Marty McFly in all 3 Back to the Future movies

• He announced he had PD in 1999

Video of Michael talking about how PD has affected his daily life.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECkPVTZlfP8

Michael J. Fox, Actor and Activist

Fox’s Professional Life after the diagnosis

“It’s changed me,” he told Geist. “It’s changed the way I work. I can’t rely on a quick eyebrow lift or … express myself in a certain way facially. I just feel stuff more and so what comes out, I have less control over, but it tends to be more

honest.” Michael J. Fox

• In 2000 Fox stepped back from acting to pursue other priorities in life, he felt he was saying goodbye to series television

• He started the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research in 2000, the largest non-profit funder for development of Parkinson’s drugs in the world.

• Became an activist for finding a cure for the disease

• Wrote three books about his life and Parkinson’s

• Awarded four honorary degrees and recipient of several humanitarian awards.

• In 2012 he announced his return to primetime television mainly due to finding a drug that helps him control his symptoms and side effects enough to portray someone with PD

How Michael overcame difficulties to achieve success

• Michael was first diagnosed with early onset in 1991 and become public in 1998 and retired from TV in 2000

• While Michael was dealing with the daily struggles of PD, he did make cameo appearances on shows; The Good Wife, Rescue Me, and Boston Legal

• In 2012, Michael planned to return to TV full time. He also talked publically about the drug “cocktail” that helps control the symptoms and side effects of PD

• Michael underwent brain surgery to see how it could help the tremors he experienced

• Michael will live with Parkinson’s for the rest of his life and he will continue to fight for research and a cure

• Some of the daily struggles that he will deal with are:

o Tremors

o Slurred or Soft Speech

o Facial Expressions start to diminish

o Ridgid Muscles

Working with Parkinson Disease

• Once diagnosed, Fox continued to work staring in Films, The American President (1995) and Mars Attacks! (1996)

• Controlled his symptoms with medication while keeping his illness a secret

• While filming the sitcom “Spin City” (1996-2000), Fox developed tricks to disguise his condition; anchoring himself to furniture, sitting on his hands, and hiding behind props

• Fox got so frustrated he punched holes in his dressing room wall.

• In 1998 Fox recounted how the studio audiences would unwittingly have to wait for his symptoms to subside

“I’d be backstage, lying on my dressing- room rug, twisting and rolling around, trying to cajole my neuro-receptors into accepting the medication that I’d

swallowed.” – Fox

• Fox would wait to take medication until right before showtime. He wanted be in peak form when cameras started rolling

• Medication offered four hours of shake-free relief from the symptoms

VIDEO

• Fox announced his retirement from “Spin City” in 2000

• Michael J. Fox won 3 Golden Globes (1998, 1999, 2000)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical – Spin City

Home Environment

• Michael J. Fox has been married to Tracey Pollan for over 20 years and they have 4 children together

• Michael says he simplies his disease when he explained it to his children, saying that his brain works differently than other brains

• Having Michael as a father has helped their children be more empathetic

• They call their dad, “shaky dad”

• Fox says living with a chronic disease has helped him realize that every little moment is special

"If I'm sitting watching TV or something, and my kids come and want to show me something or want to ask me something, I just made up my mind that there's nothing that I'm doing at any time that's more important than that," he says. "I don't know that I would think that way before this happened. … So as long as I can get there, I'll be there.“ -- Fox

• Fox credits his wife with helping him through the testing times

• Confiding his fears with Tracey and addressing his problems with spells in AA and therapy that’s when he, “Returned to Life”--Fox

• Together Michael and Tracey created a willingness to focus more on comedy and jokes, instead of trying to create and focus on the drama

• Seeing the humor in situations helped them overcome many of the hard times in their marriage, as well as the tolls of raising four children

Relationship with his Wife, Tracey Pollan

Individuals with disabilities:

We learned that individuals with disabilities learn to work through their symptoms and carry on a normal life

They have the same desires and goals that we have and do not limit themselves due to their disability

They are not defined by their disability but adapt their life to it and become the real person they want to be

They meet their goals and work hard for what they want to accomplish

Conclusion

Group Process/Learning:

We learned that through the group process, we were able to manage a big project into individual responsibilities

Our group’s decision-making process started with one individual taking the lead with everyone else giving input and participating

Clear communication was the key to success and very effective

This process was successful with the group effort

Decision-Making Process:

Our group was pretty laid back and easy to work with

A couple of us started posting early and set things up and people offered suggestions along the way

There did not seem to be any conflicts or disagreements

WORKS CITEDHow Parkinson's Affected Michael J. Fox's Marriage - Oprah.com. (2009, March 19). Retrieved from http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/Michael-J-Foxs-Life-with-Parkinsons-Stem-Cells-Optimism-and-More

Michael J. Fox Admits Alcohol Helped Him Cope With Parkinson's Diagnosis Before Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/michael-j-fox-alcohol-parkinsons_n_3990904.html

Michael J. Fox Candid Interview on Family, New Sitcom, Parkinson's - AARP. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/style-trends/info-04-2013/michael-j-fox-interview-parkinsons-family-career.html

Michael J. Fox Has Parkinson Disease - MedicineNet - Health and Medical Information Produced by Doctors. (2004, July 8). Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7579

Michael J. Fox's Return To TV Puts Parkinson's In Prime Time - Forbes. (2013, September 26). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/09/26/michael-j-foxs-return-to-tv-puts-parkinsons-in-prime-time/

Oprah Interviews Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan - Oprah.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Oprah-Interviews-Michael-J-Fox-and-Tracy-Pollan

https://www.michaeljfox.org/understanding-parkinsons/living-with-pd/topic.php?prognosis

http://www.biography.com/people/michael-j-fox-9542279?page=2

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/parkinsons-disease/DS00295

Bio. True Story. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/michael-j-fox-9542279?page=2

Fashingbauer Cooper, G. (2013). Michael J. Fox on return to TV: 'I never really went anywhere'. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment/michael-j-fox-i-never-really-went-anywhere-4B11248002

The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.michaeljfox.org

Michael J. Fox. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.parkinsoninfo.org/about-parkinsons-disease/how-is-it-treated