"It's scary because they can't fix that": HOF'er Brett Favre gets honest about struggling with Parkinson's disease

NFL: SEP 20 Panthers at Buccaneers - Source: Getty
NFL: SEP 20 Panthers at Buccaneers (Credits: Getty)

Brett Favre is facing the realities of Parkinson’s disease. The Hall of Fame quarterback says a new symptom has affected him more than anything he has faced since his diagnosis.

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The former Green Bay Packers star told "The Sage Steele Show" on Thursday that he has begun experiencing difficulty swallowing.

"I'm having a hard time swallowing," Favre said. "There's times where I think I'm choking. It's sort of scary because they can't fix that. I try not to think about it. I try to just focus on getting after the day."
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Favre revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s while testifying on Capitol Hill in January 2024.

He holds the NFL record for consecutive starts with 297 regular-season games, including a playoff streak of 321 straight games. He played 20 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

Favre led Green Bay to a Super Bowl championship in the 1996 season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the class of 2016.

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Brett Favre describes a daily mental battle with disease uncertainty

Syndication: USA TODAY (Credits: IMAGN)
Syndication: USA TODAY (Credits: IMAGN)

In the interview with "Fox News" on Wednesday, Brett Favre described how the disease carries a psychological weight as much as a physical one.

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"But there are often times during the day, maybe at night, when I decompress and I think I'm progressing a little bit because the progression, as I understand it, my doctor said," Favre said.
"Think about it this way. You see someone you haven't seen in 20 years. They look like they haven't aged a bit. You tell them, "Oh. you look great." Then you see someone you haven't seen in three years and you don't recognize them.
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"The disease is that way. There's no way to predict who is going to progress faster than others. We all age differently."

Favre said he wrestles daily with thoughts about whether the condition is advancing.

"I wake up every day and think, 'Did I progress 2% or am I staying the same? Am I looking into this progression more than I should?' All those thoughts go through my mind," Favre said.

Brett Favre is spotlighting a condition that affects approximately 1 million people in the U.S., per the Parkinson's Foundation. That number is anticipated to rise to 1.2 million by 2030.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25
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