Star of M.A.S.H., Alan Alda, has been in the entertainment industry for many years now. Despite his current battle with a tragic diagnosis, he remains standing strong.
Everyone who watches Alda on screen can’t help but enjoy his performances. He won an Emmy for his role in M.A.S.H., and one of the most iconic roles he’s played is Hawkeye Pierce, a combat doctor from the Korean War-themed television show M.A.S.H.
He said that he had bad news about his health during a recent interview. He explained that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease more than three years ago.
He continued, “The reason I want to talk about it in public is that I was diagnosed three and a half years ago and I’ve had a full life since then. I’ve acted, I’ve given talks, I help at the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook. I started this new podcast.”
He also said that during his talk show appearances discussing his new podcast, he saw his thumb twitch in some shots. He then came to the realization that it is only a matter of time before somebody does a story about his condition from a negative perspective.
Alda wanted to be the one to break the news. He also wanted people to understand that he is still the same person, but that he has a health issue with which he must now think. Alda would want people to feel no pity for him if this were the case.
He said that he had asked for the scan. He explained, “I asked for the scan because I thought I might have it. I read an article in the New York Times that indicates that if you act out your dreams, there’s a good chance that might be a very early symptom when nothing else shows. I was having a dream that someone was attacking me and I threw a sack of potatoes at them, but what I was doing was throwing a pillow at my wife. ”
Even though he wasn’t displaying any symptoms yet, he still wanted to be checked out. He said that looking back, he realized how lucky it was that his symptoms weren’t more severe at the time. He’s got a few twitches now but is living an active life. He started boxing lessons and now leads a busy lifestyle.
Alda explains that each day is different for him, but he may utilize techniques to encourage him to punch. “It’s common for us all to go to the worst thought. But this is a disease that’s different for everyone who has it. You know how I look at it. It’s like a puzzle to be solved. What do I have to adapt to carry on a normal life. I enjoy solving puzzles,” Alda said.
Alan Alda, an experienced actor, desires to use his celebrity status to help other individuals learn about the scientific discoveries surrounding Parkinson’s disease. He has pledged to remain optimistic in light of this diagnosis. Although we are all saddened by his announcement, we are sending him our well wishes and hoping he will maintain his strength during this difficult time in his life.
