5 Celebrities Living with Neurological Disorders

 Living with neurological disorders can be difficult — they take a toll on you, physically and mentally, especially when you feel uncertain about your experience. But to anyone who’s spent hours scrolling through WebMD or frantically searching for treatment options with phrases like Stem Cell Therapy in Bangalore it’s important to remember that these conditions don’t have to hold you back. With the right treatment and care, you can not only live a normal life but even excel. Just take a look at these celebrities who live with neurological disorders.

 

1. Micheal J Fox, Parkinson’s Disease

You may know Micheal J Fox from the hit sci-fi trilogy Back to the Future. What you may not know is that at just 30 years old, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Although early-onset cases aren’t unheard of, they’re not very common, so it’s not surprising that Fox didn’t believe the diagnosis at first. “I thought it was a mistake. I got a couple of second opinions and third opinions,” he said in a 2014 interview, “It’s a degenerative, progressive disease. You can’t say, ‘You can expect this henceforth.’ Plus, there’s shame in illness.” He told the world in 1998, and soon after, created the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. When he received the diagnosis in 1991, he was told he had ten years left to work before the disease would make it impossible. His most recent acting credit is for The Good Fight in 2020 — almost 30 years after the initial diagnosis.

 

2.            Tamia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Tamia Hill, better known by her stage name Tamia, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress with 6 Grammy nominations under her belt. She is known for being a powerhouse in the R&B genre, and looking at her career you would never guess that she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. She received the diagnosis in 2003, and she claims that it came at a time where she was prioritizing her work over her health. She claims that having the condition has helped her learn to balance her priorities. Tamia went public with her health in 2005, to raise awareness of the illness. In her own words: "I am really happy that at a time when I didn't know what was going on with myself, that I shared my health with people and it allowed others going through the same thing to open up and get more information about MS. That's what it's all about, bringing awareness and saving lives."

 

3.            Stephen Hawking, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Everyone knows about Stephen Hawking’s struggle with ALS, but the limitations of his body did nothing to stop his brilliant mind. He was diagnosed with the illness at the age of 21, while he was still studying at Oxford University, and he was told that he would have just two more years to live. Hawking passed away on December 14, 2018, at the ripe old age of 76. This was likely thanks to the care and support he received, as well as a little luck concerning the natural progression of the disease. Hawking was much more than his illness, he was one of the brightest minds of our time. When asked about his philosophy on life with ALS, he said “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”

 

4.            Jonty Rhodes, Epilepsy

Jonty Rhodes was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child. In another life, the South African ex-cricketer would have played Rugby, but he had to give up the sport as it triggered his epileptic seizures. Luckily for cricket fans, he picked up a bat instead. Rhodes is considered a pioneer of the sport, renowned for his expert fielding. He never let his condition hold him back on the pitch, and he doesn’t let it hold him back in life either. Rhodes credits his parents for his outlook “They never saw my epilepsy as a ‘disease’ and in fact, they encouraged me to live life as normally as possible. They encouraged me to participate in sport and not to give up on my dreams.”

 

5.            Satoshi Tajiri, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The name Satoshi Tajiri may not sound familiar, but you’ve almost certainly heard of his creation. Tajiri is the mind behind Pokemon, possibly the world’s most popular video game franchise, and he happens to be on the autism spectrum. But Tajiri’s creation didn’t come about despite his condition, rather it was likely a direct result of it. One of the characteristics of many disorders on the autism spectrum is a hyper fixation on a topic and a desire to collect. Tajiri’s youth was characterized by an intense interest in bug collecting, and he wanted to create a game where people could collect something new and interesting. Tajiri doesn’t like speaking about his experience with ASD, preferring to keep out of the spotlight, but the pokemon games have resonated with children across the world for the last 24 years. 

 

These aren’t the only inspiring cases — there are millions of average people who live their lives with neurological disorders — but it’s inspiring to see people in the limelight speak out. So while you’re looking up your symptoms, medication options, rehabilitation, or even Stem Cell Therapy in Bangalore, know that there are people all over the world fighting the same fight alongside you.