Ryan Reynolds has paid tribute to his father James C. Reynolds, who died after suffering from Parkinson’s disease for 20 years.
The Green Lantern actor shared a picture of his father holding Reynolds as a baby on Twitter on Wednesday.
Reynolds asked for donations to be sent to the Michael J Fox foundation, a charity dedicated to funding research into curing Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain.
It affects movement and muscle mobility, inducing tremors. People with Parkinson’s can also experience a number of other physical and psychological symptoms, including depression and insomnia.
In his obituary, the Reynolds family remembered James as a man who lived a full life despite facing such a major health challenge.
“Jim was a strong and passionate man who lived life to the fullest. His spirit, stories and memories live on in his sons and grandkids.”
Reynolds described the impact the disease had on his father in an editorial for the Huffington Post in 2008, shortly after deciding to run the New York City Marathon for the Michael J Fox foundation. Michael Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was just 29-years-old. Now 55, the actor has defied medical experts who predicted he would only have another 10 years left in his acting career.
Reynolds wrote: “I’ve watched my father - a strong and proud person who successfully raised 4 arguably insane children - slowly, cruelly stripped of his independence. His golden years robbed without explanation.
“One of the reasons I chose running specifically, was because (as Murakami so eloquently put it) my competition is the most formidable foe of all; ME. The person I have to beat is the guy I was last week. The person I was yesterday. Indescribably worse, those affected by Parkinson's wage a similar war in their own bodies every single day.”
