Ryan Reynolds Reflects on Father's Battle with Parkinson's Disease and the Importance of Modern Treatments

Ryan Reynolds, the ‘Deadpool’ star, opened up about his father’s unfortunate demise due to the deadly Parkinson’s disease, and wishes things had been different. The actor attended Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ New York City panel for Parkinson's Awareness Month and shed light on his fathers’s struggles with hallucinations and delusions.

Impact of Parkinson's on Ryan Reynolds' fatherJames Chester, the father of Reynolds, passed away at 74 after battling with Parkinson’s for two decades. The 48-year-old actor shed light on his father’s diagnosis by stating, “A man with four children, working class, dealing with a disease that is degenerative and something that will one day render him physically unable to take care of himself or others, that is going to have a profound effect on the psyche. That's not easy,” he said to People.

One thing that could've been differentThe one thing he wishes had been different is that the modern medical treatment given by the pharmaceuticals was available when his father was struggling. He further added that while he was one of the many patients experiencing hallucinations and delusions, Chester might’ve stated the term ‘Parkinson’s’ probably twice in his entire life.
“He certainly wasn't going to talk about some of the psychological effects it was having on him. And if there was treatment for that, if there was something available back then, I think his whole life would've improved. I think his sense of well-being would've been restored. His sense of reality would've been restored,” Ryan Reynolds added.

While Ryan’s father had the disorder, his mother had suffered as well, being the sole caregiver. “She was the primary caregiver for my father. And when you have somebody who's very prideful like that, he's not going to accept help from anyone else. So I feel for them as much as I do the patients,” the actor said.