In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Michael reflected upon his life since being diagnosed.
"What I believed then and what I believe now, I might not put it in the same words, but you can do anything. Anything," he shared with the publication.
"You don't have to follow other people's prognostications for what life is going to be. Life's going to be what you make it."
Four months prior when speaking with Town & Country magazine, the now 62-year-old reflected upon his uncertain future, sharing that it "wouldn't be unheard of" if he were to lose his battle with the disease in the not-so-distant future.
"One day I'll run out of gas. One day I'll just say, 'It's not going to happen. I'm not going out today.' If that comes, I'll allow myself that. I'm 62 years old. Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn't be unheard of. And so, no, I don't fear that," the Parkinson's advocate lamented.
According to research conducted by the foundation, patients usually live between 10 and 20 years after initial diagnosis, a lifespan Michael has well and truly exceeded, much to the joy of fans and his loving friends and family.
Despite changing the trajectory of his life so drastically, Michael has found the positives in his prognosis.
"I've said Parkinson's is a gift. It's the gift that keeps on taking, but it has changed my life in so many positive ways," he shared in the same interview.
This interview isn't the first time Michael has opened up about his impending death, making the sad confession to CBS Sunday Morning in early 2023 that he believes it unlikely that he will still be alive for another two decades, despite his desire to live.
"You don't die from Parkinon's, you die with Parkinson's," the father of four shared at the time.
"So I've been thinking of the mortality of it. I'm not going to be 80. I'm not going to be 80."
He added: "I recognise how hard this is for people and recognise how hard it is for me but I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff and I realise, with gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you can find something to be grateful for then you find something to look forward to and you carry on."
But no matter the reality of what will come to pass, Michael says he continues to live "one day at a time", telling PEOPLE in May 2023 that he lives for "each moment" and loves "each day."
"The average age of death is 77. It's not that far out on a lamb. [But] if you told me when I was 29 when they just diagnosed it, that at 62 I'd still be going at it, that life would be so full, I never would have guessed it," he shared with the publication.
"I'm cautiously optimistic, but most optimistic, not so much cautious, as my family would say," he continued.
Michael has written extensively about his optimistic outlook on life, acting career, and activism in three separate memoirs:
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