Morgan Freeman is one of the most recognizable faces on the big screen. This iconic actor has played a wide range of roles since he started acting in 1964. His first appearance on television that gained him some popularity was the 1970s children’s show, The Electric Company.
He has even played the great Nelson Mandela in Invictus. Freeman also works as a voiceover artist and narrator.
He survived a horrendous crash.
Freeman suffered an incredible crash in 2008 but was lucky to survive. The accident left him with a broken shoulder and elbow. Despite attempts to correct nerve damage, Freeman suffered paralysis in his left arm.
The paralysis was so intense that Freeman was fitted with a compression glove to help ease the strain on his injured hand. It also helps to keep blood flowing in the hand, while restricting excessive movement.
Since the incident, he has been dealing with fibromyalgia, a condition that manifests as widespread muscular pain, fatigue, and tenderness in the joints and soft tissue.
The secret to living with fibromyalgia.
In spite of this, Freeman keeps a positive outlook on life. Medication helps him manage the pain. But keeping his mind fixed on how much he can still do, does help a lot more. As for the secret to his boundless enthusiasm, he says:
I have work to do. Keeping busy is one thing. It had a lot to do with eating, where your energy levels are. I eat as seldom as I can. If they made a pill, I’d just take the pill. I wouldn’t bother with the other stuff. I take a handful of vitamins and supplements in the morning and wash it down with an antioxidant drink.
He also continues to engage in activities that keep him occupied when he is not working. Of course, sailing is out of the question. And he cannot fly his planes anymore (he is a certified pilot).
There is a point to changes like these. I have to move on to other things, to other conceptions of myself. I play golf. I still work. And I can be pretty happy just walking the land.
For Freeman, life goes on, with or without fibromyalgia. It is a message he is passionate about and he continues to be actively involved in campaigns to support people suffering from this condition.
Freeman turned 80 in June 2017. He currently produces the CBS hit, Madam Secretary.
