Neil Diamond on dealing with Parkinson’s: I can’t really fight this thing

Neil Diamond has been dealing with Parkinson’s disease ever since he was diagnosed with it in 2018. In a recent interview, the singer-songwriter opened up about living with the disease. “I’m still doing it. And I don’t like it,” Neil admitted “OK, so this is the hand that God’s given me, and I have to make the best of it, and so I am.”

Following his diagnosis in 2018, Neil reveals that he was “in denial” and was “just not ready to accept it”. “I said, ‘Oh, OK. I’ll see you, you know, whenever you wanna see me. But I have work to do, so I’ll see you later’,” he told his doctor. Despite being diagnosed so long back, it’s only now that he has begun to accept.

“I can’t really fight this thing, so I had to accept it, this Parkinson’s disease. There’s no cure. There’s no getting away from it. You can’t just say, ‘OK, enough already. Let’s get back to life.’ It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “But I’ve come to accept what limitations I have, and still have great days.”

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He believes that “a calm has moved [into] the hurricane of my life, and things have gotten very quiet, as quiet as this recording studio. I find that I like myself better. I’m easier on people, I’m easier on myself. And the beat goes on, and it will go on long after I’m gone.”

Neil Diamond is happy that he can still sing and he’s not given up yet. “I just have to take life as it comes to me, enjoy it, be thankful that I’ve had it, especially having the life that I’ve had,” he said.

Neil is the man behind hits like “Sweet Caroline” and “Cracklin’ Rosie”.

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