M*A*S*H Star Alan Alda Reveals He's Been Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease

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M*A*S*H star Alan Alda has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The 82-year-old actor, best known for playing loveable larrikin Hawkeye Pierce in the long-running war series, said he was diagnosed three-and-a-half years ago but thought that his symptoms were becoming too noticeable not to mention.

"I've had a full life since then," Alda told CBS News. "I've acted, I've given talks, I help at the Alda Centre for Communicating Science...

"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."

Later, on Twitter, Alda reiterated that he's viewing his diagnosis as a challenge, urging others to "keep moving".

"I decided to let people know I have Parkinson's to encourage others to take action," he captioned a video of himself juggling.

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"I take boxing lessons three days a week, play singles tennis twice a week and take a mild pill - all Dr. recommended. I even juggle a little.

"Really, I'm good."

A six-time Emmy Award winner, Alda went on to star in ER, The West Wing and, later, hosted Scientific American Frontiers on US station PBS.

1 August 2018




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