“Holding my breath”: Brett Favre breaks silence on how Parkinson’s diagnosis is affecting his daily life | NFL News
Brett Favre Parkinson’s update arrived with honesty and clarity, reflecting the mindset of a quarterback who built his career on toughness and transparency. One year after revealing his diagnosis, the Pro Football Hall of Famer is not hiding from the reality of the disease. Instead, Favre is explaining what it means for his daily life and how his body responds as time goes on.Favre shared the update during a recent episode of his 4th and Favre podcast, offering fans a window into how Parkinson’s has affected him physically, but not yet mentally. The former Packers star spoke calmly and without drama, choosing education over fear. His words carried weight because they came from lived experience, not speculation.
Brett Favre Parkinson’s update highlights early-stage reality
During the podcast, Brett Favre explained the specific form of Parkinson’s he has and how it differs from common assumptions. “I’m in the early stages of Parkinson’s,” Favre said. “I thought there was one Parkinson’s, and that was it. There’s not. There’s multiple, many forms of Parkinson’s, and I have what’s called idiopathic, which is the most common. And I think the other thing that most people, when they hear Parkinson’s, they think of shaking. … I have very little shaking. I have some, but it’s pretty rare.
“As I’ve learned, the Parkinson’s that I have has three different characteristics, and one of those three is you’ll have as the dominant side effect whatever, it’s cognitive, and memory is one; shaking and tremors is two; and rigidity and stiffness is three. I major in the rigidity and stiffness.”Favre also addressed the long-term outlook with realism rather than false hope. “When I get fatigued, maybe mainly towards the end of the day, I do shake a little bit, but my cognitive memory part of it is not right now,” Favre said. “It’s OK, but as you well know, there’s no cure. I hear, you know, from time to time, well, they’re five years away from a cure. I hope that’s the case. I really do. But I’m not holding my breath.”Later appearances revealed how he manages symptoms through frequent medication. “I can only imagine what I look like, but I feel like a pretzel,” Favre said. “Everything is so rigid. I take the medicine, and 20 minutes later, at least in my mind, it’s like a total new body.”For a player who defined durability in the NFL, this chapter is different. Yet Favre’s voice remains steady, grounded, and focused on facing the challenge head-on.Also Read: Brett Favre slams NFL for choosing Bad Bunny for Super Bowl halftime, says league should “pick someone who loves our country”
