Still here
Why Michael J Fox's documentary is more than an window into his world
The audio from my email being read out on “Must Watch”, the entertainment section of Nihal Arthanayake’s daily BBC Radio 5 Show.
Text from my email:
Dear 3 Amigos,
I wanted to drop you line about Michael J Fox’s phenomenal film that you mentioned last week. I don’t want to add to Hayley’s endorsement but just to give you a couple of reasons why Still is so important.
In 2016 aged 38 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. A real blow at the time as you can imagine. I didn’t know much about the disease except I’d aways been a fan of Michael J Fox and knew he had it ( Back to the Future is definitely in the top 5 of my favourite movies). The more I researched, the more I realised just what incredible man he is. From the billions he has raised to the attitude he has taken in fronting up to the disease, he provides hope when things seem hopeless. Without him as my North Star I’m not sure I would be as positive and hopeful as I would have been without him. He has also taught me to be grateful for the things I have and still enjoy. In a recent interview promoting Still, he said “with gratitude, optimism is sustainable” and it is exactly this sentiment that gets me through the bad.
I am also truly grateful to him for shining a light and normalising Parkinson’s. By just being himself on camera he shows the world what this illness does to us and that will hopefully remove some of the stigma attached to it. I’ve been accused of being drunk in public due to my somewhat erratic walking or even worse “appearing to be nervous and suspicious” when presenting my train tickets, and the conductor accusing me of faking them
So Still is more than just an invite into Michael’s world, it’s an invite into the Parkinson’s world in general. And yes we are shaky, and yes we can’t stop moving, but thanks to Michael we are Still here fighting.
Thanks, I’m a big fan of the show!Matt
Good post - and you’re on the button with the debt we Parkies owe MJF.
That said my observation is that though I sent links to Still to lots of friends and family I never hear back from any of them - which makes me wonder if any of them have taken the time to watch.
In a way I totally understand - we all have so many calls for our time and attention that to put time aside to watch a whole movie may seem too big an ask.
But I also wonder if people just find the whole business of someone they know dealing with a slow moving neurodegenerative disease is just not something they they can bear to do.
I spent years trying to get media folk interested in climate change- the response I got was it’s too slow moving too depressing to ever make good tv - maybe the same applies to PD?