The “Biggest Struggle” Alan Alda Overcame after Being Told He Had Parkinson’s disease
Alan Alda, who gained renown as the military doctor on the dramatic sitcom MASH, is now recognized as a veteran of Hollywood at the age of 86. However, the adored actor revealed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years earlier.
Today, Alda is publicly discussing the “greatest difficulty” of having the condition and how, despite the fact that his aims have not altered since being diagnosed, his outlook on life has.
Please continue reading to find out more about his case of Parkinson’s disease, the aspect he finds most challenging, and what he’s doing to stop the disease from getting worse.
After this odd symptom was identified in 2015, Alda was given a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Alda discovered a paper from 2015 that described a strange Parkinson’s sign some of their patients had: they had a propensity to physically act out their dreams when they were still asleep, a disease known as REM sleep behavior disorder.
Alda said in 2020 that “I realized I had done exactly that.” “In the dream, I attacked the person I had imagined was attacking me by hurling a sack of potatoes at them. My wife was hit with a pillow.
So, thinking I had Parkinson’s disease, I went to the doctor and requested a brain scan. Alda insisted on getting the scan even though the doctor advised against it because he didn’t have any typical symptoms. The actor recalls, “He called me back and said, “Wow, you got it.”
He said this had been the “greatest challenge” since his illness.
Alda asserts that even since learning of his diagnosis, he has led a “full life”: he has continued acting, started a popular podcast, and cherished the extra time with his family he was able to spend during the pandemic’s quarantine phase.
Alda made a quite small complaint when asked what the most challenging aspect of having Parkinson’s was: “Tying shoelaces can be challenging with stiff fingers. Put on your mittens and try playing the violin,” the speaker said.
Instead of trying to fake happiness or wallow in despair, the actor finds solutions to his issues. Being either favorable or negative about something has no real meaning.
We only have uncertainty, so you’ve got to figure out how to ride it, he said. The good news is that I’m growing more assured that I’ll always be able to come up with a solution, he continued. “Life is constantly changing, evolving, and reinventing itself,” I’m more certain than ever.
He claims that his Parkinson’s disease “may be slowed.”
Alda told People that seven years after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, he is still in good health and feels great. He reportedly told the insider, “I’m feeling terrific and moving on. He declared, “I’m doing everything I can to stem the progression of Parkinson’s disease, which can be stopped with effort.
Along with exercising and receiving physical therapy, he also spends a lot of time “getting ready for my podcast, chasing the geese off my grass, playing chess with Arlene, his 65-year-old wife, and binge-watching Scandinavian TV series.”
He goes on to argue that the activity is necessary for his ongoing welfare. Alda asserts that he engages in physical activity, such as walking, biking, and jogging on a treadmill, to maintain motor control.
I like to dance to the music. I pick up boxing from a man who has received Parkinson’s disease treatment. I work out my entire body as directed for this condition. If you receive this diagnosis, everything is not lost.
He wants everyone to understand that receiving a Parkinson’s diagnosis does not guarantee death.
Alda believes that he made the decision to be upfront about his health in order to convey a new story about what a Parkinson’s diagnosis can entail.
I know people who have just been diagnosed who feel like their lives are over and they’re stunned and saddened, so one of the reasons I talk about it in public is to remove some of the stigmas, he said.
“Becoming depressed is a typical response, but it’s unneeded. Even though things may be much worse, your life is not over. Rather than from it, you die because of it.
The Marriage Story actor laughs whenever she can to keep a positive attitude on life. “Laugh! Laughter is good for you. One of the biggest benefits of this pandemic isolation is that. We’ve never laughed like my wife and I are right now.
“You reveal yourself when you laugh. You’re not secure. But there are so many advantages to being vulnerable. You permit the other individual.
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