Ryan Reynolds opens up about dad’s battle with Parkinson’s disease
Ryan Reynolds has been opening up about his dad’s battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Ryan’s dad, James, was diagnosed with the disease roughly 25 years ago and tragically passed away in 2015 at the age of 74.
Ryan has now shared an insight into the relationship he had with his dad, while also revealing the struggles James experienced over two decades of having Parkinson’s.
In a video shared to his 53.9M Instagram followers that features his mum, Tammy, Ryan explained, “About 10 years ago, two things happened that changed my life. The first is that Deadpool got greenlit but at exactly the same time, we lost my father to Parkinson’s disease”.
“I would definitely call him a present father – never missed a football game. I think a complicated man. My dad was a bit of a mystery to me”.
The Deadpool star continued, “Basically, you sort of know what to expect from Parkinson’s physically, but no one warned us about the hallucinations and delusions. Around 50% of people with Parkinson’s endure this at some point”.
“He began thinking strange things about the family and our motives and there was just no way to talk him out of some of these things”.
Ryan went on to admit that he and his three brothers were “super worried” about their mum during their dad’s illness.
In the caption of the video, Reynolds shared more details about Parkinson’s disease by explaining, “My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s around 25 years ago. I’ve been a board member of @michaeljfoxorg for about 15 years now. In that time there have been so many advancements I wish my dad and our family had the chance to benefit from”.
“Dealing with the nuance, complexity, and unexpected symptoms of this disease can feel overwhelming and, at least in my case, slightly hopeless”.
“But if there’s one thing I hope everyone knows, it’s how important it is to not face it all alone. My dad’s gone now, but I’m lucky to continue working toward solutions with people who are, thankfully, much smarter than me”.
Ryan closed off by adding advice to his fans by saying, “If you or someone you love is touched by this disease and its symptoms, check out MoreToParkinsons.com for more info”.
