Alan Alda, longtime N.J. resident, announces Parkinson's diagnosis
The "M*A*S*H" actor said he had been diagnosed three and a half years ago, but that he has continued to enjoy activities he did before receiving the health news. He decided it was time to talk about Parkinson's because he started to notice his movements on camera.
"I've had a full life since then," said Alda, 82. "I've acted, I've given talks, I help at the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook. I started this new podcast. And I noticed that -- I had been on television a lot in the last couple of weeks talking about the new podcast -- and I could see my thumb twitch in some shots and I thought, it's probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view, but that's not where I am."
The Bronx native, born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo, lived with his wife, photographer, clarinetist and writer Arlene Alda, in Leonia for 38 years, from 1963 to 2001.
Alda said he wanted to help people see past the initial reaction to diagnosis, when a patient can be "immobilized by fear." The actor, who has won six Emmys and six Golden Globes in his career for playing Hawkeye Pierce in "M*A*S*H" and Arnold Vinick in "The West Wing," said he looked at Parkinson's as another challenge to tackle.
"There are some common symptoms, but mostly everybody's different and each day is different from the next," he said. "One day you wake up, you think, 'Oh, it's over, it's gone.' Next day it's back a little worse. You don't know what it's going to be, but the main thing is, there's stuff you can do and I've been -- you know how I look at it? It's like a puzzle to be solved. What do I have to adapt to to carry on a normal life? And I enjoy solving puzzles."
Alda tweeted that he wanted to go public with his diagnosis "to encourage others to take action." He encouraged anyone affected by the disease to "keeping moving." Alongside the message, the actor shared a GIF of himself juggling.
"And I'm not entering dementia," he added in a follow-up tweet. "I'm no more demented than I was before. Maybe I should rephrase that. Really, I'm good."
At his Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, Alda teaches doctors and scientists to communicate better by applying methods used in acting. He also hosts a podcast called Clear+Vivid, about making better connections with people.
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